Laurel Shelton lives in the cove with her brother Hank, who has just returned home from fighting in World War I and is missing a hand.

When Laurel again spots the man in the woods, she stops to listen to his music and notes its sadness before heading into the nearest town with Hank and Slidell.

His friend, Chauncey Feith, the town's army recruiter, breaks up the fight and the trio returns home.

Meanwhile, Walter Smith, a man who has just escaped some sort of camp, wanders to the cove and stays for three days to heal.

On the fourth day he intends to leave, but he suddenly slips and falls and is attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets.

At the end of Part One, Laurel sees Walter hide a medallion between some rocks and, retrieving it, she attempts, unsuccessfully, to discover its significance.

Chauncey takes two young boys to the Mars Hill library to look for books written in German that might be "aiding the enemy."

Chaucey takes the petition he has started to have Professor at the college fired for "aiding the Huns" to a senator and daydreams about having a statue built in his honor for his efforts during the war.

Miss Calicut takes her to see Professor Mayer, who tells her its inscription, Vaterland, means "Fatherland" and was the name of a large German ocean liner that was stranded in the New York Harbor in 1914.

Laurel, now hurt and confused by her findings, heads back to the cove and confronts Walter in private.

Then November 9 arrives, and it's the day of Paul Clayton's coming home parade that Chauncey has so diligently planned.

Laurel and Walter are returning home when they spot Chauncey, the Claytons, Jubel, and Hank tied up.

[1] The novel also won the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Okra Pick for Summer 2012[2] and was listed in the Amazon.com Best Books of April 2012.