Ellie Morgan's life isn't going exactly as she planned. She finds herself divorced and working as a teacher in the Midwest when word arrives that a distant relative has died ... and left her everything. Ellie travels to Tennessee to attend to the estate, which includes a large plantation house that has been in the family since the early 1800s. Ellie feels drawn to the attic, where she finds a stack of letters hidden in a hatbox.

The letters appear to be from a Civil War soldier by the name of Rafe Collins. Rafe fought on the Confederate side; however, the letters are addressed to Ms. Hattie Townes, whose family stood behind the Union. Ellie can't help but read the one-sided exchange, wondering at the love shared between Rafe and Hattie, despite the division of war. The more immersed Ellie gets, the more she suspects she isn't alone in the grand plantation house.

A haunted spirit wanders the halls, and Ellie soon realizes it's the ghost of Rafe Collins. Distressed by his lost love, he lingers in the house, looking for answers. What ever became of Hattie? Why didn't she answer his letters? Ellie decides to try to solve Rafe's mystery-and, in the process, develops feelings for a local man. Perhaps Ellie's broken heart can be mended, and perhaps Rafe can finally find peace in the arms of his beloved.