Freedwoman Ellen Burns, who has an eidetic memory, poses as a mute enslaved person in the Richmond, Virginia, household of a Confederate senator to gather intelligence for the Union.

Scottish immigrant Malcolm McCall is a Pinkerton detective posing as a Confederate soldier to spy on the family Ellen has been "loaned" to.

The book is the first installment in Cole's The Loyal League series set during the American Civil War.

[2] Kirkus called it "a masterful tale" and said it "defies genre stereotypes at every turn (and) offers a nuanced portrayal of Civil War–era racial politics.

Any reader who thinks romance novels are pure fluff will be schooled by Cole's richly drawn characters, who must overcome generations of trauma in order to let themselves love each other.