Daniel begins life inside a covered wagon beneath the limbs of an ancient birthing tree. He is strong of body and sensitive of mind, and cared for by his only parent, Melinda after his well-meaning but footloose father, Jacob, abandons them. Haunted by nightmarish events in his past and faced by a ruthless enemy, Daniel"s mind is further taxed when he reaches manhood. He suffers an inability to choose between two attractive young women. One is a former classmate and music partner while the other is a lovely but spoiled, daughter of an influential man. A brown-eyed Cherokee woman who marries his friend, Seth, is abducted by kinsmen and returned to the tribal village. Seth follows her and they make their home among the Cherokees. As the War of 1812 rages on, the two friends meet again on the battlefield--one with life-changing news to deliver for the other.