So Red the Rose

War fever interrupts the Bedford family's peaceful life at Portobello. Valette is in love with Duncan, who initially refuses to enlist, clinging to his principles. The looming conflict makes clear that every Bedford man will eventually be drawn into the war.

A family friend dies in battle, convincing Edward to enlist in the Confederate cause. This decision marks the first major step of the Bedfords into the war. The moment foreshadows the personal losses to come.

That night, Union troops wake Malcolm and press him to serve as their guide, wounding his pride in the process. He reluctantly agrees to join the Confederate Army. His decision underscores the widening rift within the family as war consumes them.

Sallie has a vision of her son dead on a battlefield, a foreboding glimpse of the losses ahead. The vision unsettles the family and deepens the sense that war will take its toll. Duncan, Sallie, and their loyal servant William Veal set out toward the front lines.

Sallie, Duncan, and William drive toward the Confederate battle site, hoping to find Edward alive. They travel through a landscape scarred by war, clinging to the hope that their loved one survives. The journey foreshadows the danger and heartbreak to come.

The search ends with the grim discovery that Edward has fallen on the battlefield. The sight deeply moves Duncan and leaves him more determined to fight. The family confronts a brutal reality that war takes loved ones.

Back at Portobello, Cato leads a revolt among the farm hands who dream of leisure under Union rule. William attempts to stop the uprising, but Valette intervenes, reminding them of her childhood kindness and pleading for mercy. The revolt subsides and the workers return to the fields.

Malcolm returns home wounded after a skirmish and the slaves gather to pay respects as he dies from his injuries. Sallie proclaims the slaves free, explaining that their master no longer needs their labor. The moment marks a turning point in the plantation’s social order.

Two Union soldiers arrive at Portobello and threaten the Bedford women. Confederate cavalry respond by killing one soldier and wounding the other, plunging the family into a fresh peril. Valette struggles to protect those she loves amid the violence.

Valette hides a wounded Union boy, presenting him as her brother to spare him capture. In the confusion, she learns that one of the Confederate soldiers is Duncan, now hardened by war. The revelation casts a new shadow over her protectiveness.

More Confederate soldiers arrive, and Duncan is captured as Portobello is burned. The wounded boy is found dead the following morning, a stark symbol of how the war has ravaged their lives. Valette faces the cost of choosing mercy in a brutal conflict.

With Portobello destroyed, the remaining Bedfords and the loyal William take shelter in an outbuilding and cook over an open fire. They endure the war’s fallout together, clinging to each other for survival. The scene emphasizes resilience born of hardship.

Duncan finally returns from the war, older and wiser from the tragedies he endured. He and Valette share a tearful reunion, their years apart shaped by loss and sacrifice. The couple faces a sober, weathered future together.