In 1938, Archibald Cameron, the benevolent and uncompromising judge of a small county in rural Mississippi, hosts author William Faulkner at an after-hunt breakfast. Discussing such diverse subjects as writing, peach brandy, aerial combat, and racism, the judge thoughtfully studies Faulkner and his enigmatic person. This meeting begins a correspondence and series of happenstance encounters that tie together four generations of the Cameron-Devereaux family, as they face struggles with the economy, the klan, Nazis, and the challenges of living in the New South.