When their father goes off to fight the Confederacy, the Pioneer sisters - Clara, Marianne, Diana, and June - are left to face the world without his guiding hand. With the help of their mother, grandmother, and French stableboy, Paul, they do everything they can to keep the family farm solvent. But hard times besets the Pioneer family, forcing the sisters to make some hard choices that could change their lives. From playground bullies to unscrupulous business deals, the sisters must stand together until their family is reunited once more.

Set in the small Massachusetts town of Hadley during the height of the Civil War, this is a story of coming of age, finding love, and understanding what the word "family" is all about.