"The Civil War had changed the South, breaking down many of the old social barriers. But when Eleanor Upjohn and Kester Larne fell in love, they found the South hadn't changed enough ... To the Larnes, still living in gracious if seedy elegance, Eleanor was common, the descendant of white trash. And to the Upjohns, Kester was a spoiled playboy whose airs of gentility were simply a mask for laziness"--Back cover