In April of 1860, on her 17th birthday, Anne"s father gave her Wexford, a 15,000-acre cotton and tobacco plantation. He also gave her a new body servant, whom Anne named Moragan. Moragan is not a conventional slave. She is about 10, Irish, and has a habit of speaking her mind - a trait that annoys Anne profoundly! Moragan, does not know the rules and conventions of being a slave - much less being a body servant, so Anne trains her. It is not an easy task for either one of them, and Moragan is certain her behind will be completely worn away before she learns to behave! As America begins to fall apart at the seams, Anne and Moragan begin to forge a completely different relationship. Moragan runs Wexford House for Anne, and she learns what it means to be a slave from both perspectives: owner and owned. Anne always reminds Moragan that she and all the other servants are only stock, and not "people". Both of them are products of their time: and as Anne learns how to govern the society under her, she and Moragan discover who they truly are.