After running the Federal blockade and returning to England, Rudy and Rose have three days to spend together before he is compelled to return across the Atlantic. To use that time together in a meaningful way, Rose requests Rudy tell her of his youth. Beginning with the tragic circumstances leading to his expulsion from Virginia Military Institute, his return to Charleston and subsequent disinheritance, he then details for her, in words so vivid she experiences his adventures alongside him, his voyage to San Francisco and foray into the gold fields as a ‘49er. The flashback, seen through the perspective of the innocent youth, carries them through hope and expectation, misery and failure; a sea voyage and the birth of San Francisco; a friend, many enemies and a life-and-death struggle that leaves Rudy scarred, both physically and mentally, for life. Yet, in the telling of it to his soulmate, Rudy’s love for Rose deepens and that gives him the courage to face a very uncertain future when he returns to Southern soil and the raging Civil War.