So much has changed for Della Ward in the 10 years since the Civil War. Once a carefree bride-to-be who mixed with Atlanta's social elite, she now lives a widow's lonely life on the harsh Texas frontier. But a dark shadow colors the memories of her brief marriage -- the last letter she wrote her late husband. Full of desperate and hateful words, it was written in a moment of passion and it will haunt her for the rest of her life. When the rugged gunslinger James Cameron rides onto her land claiming to have been befriended by Clarence Ward during his final hours, Della can only hope his words will relieve her guilt. But Cameron has his own cross to bear -- a connection to Della's husband that threatens to tear apart the promise of a new beginning together.