A German immigrant's son, a Kentucky gentleman, and an emancipated man discover they're half-brothers at the dawn of the Civil War. With only a father in common, their perspectives of the war reflect the national discourse as they strive to find their place in America.

The Queen City, Cincinnati, sits at the southern edge of the Union, its people divided between allegiance to the Union and the Southern way of life with its peculiar institution. When the simmering conflict erupts into war, Max hopes for a quick and peaceful resolution and a return to normal life. As the Confederate armies advance toward Cincinnati and the stakes become personal, he confronts his beliefs and fights to defend his hometown and the soul of the nation.

Max is a pacifist, emerging business and community leader, married to feminist Annie, who curtails her women's movement activism to raise their daughter. The couple's pursuit of their American dream is put on hold when the Civil War halts commerce, draws able-bodied men into service and polarizes neighbors into abolitionist and states' rights camps.

Americans must determine where they stand and how they will support the war effort. As the men around him take up arms, Max's beliefs prevent him from volunteering. The war intensifies, becoming more dire and personal as Max comes to know his half-brothers and the plight of Black men. When the Confederate army targets the Queen City for attack, Max marches with 70,000 fellow citizens to defend against the siege that could destroy his home and family. What was a distant war and inconvenience becomes a living nightmare.

Book Two picks up where Queen of the West left off and follows Max, Annie, and friends through the turbulent war years in Cincinnati.