Luke Colton resolutely believes two things: slaves are crucial to the South's well-being, and states must be allowed to make their own laws. Unfortunately, no one else in his family agrees. Lawrence, Kansas, 1862, is a hotbed of Jayhawker activity where Northern sympathies are openly displayed. William Clarke Quantrill is the leader of a guerilla band of Southern sympathizers, called Bushwhackers, who foray from Missouri into Kansas to attack Jayhawkers. Luke joins Quantrill's Raiders, but after months with the group, he realizes his family's views are right, and he's wrong. But it's too late. Quantrill and his men raid Lawrence, setting it on fire, killing 177 people. Then, Quantrill aims to kill Luke for being a traitor.