With the death of her father, Jo-Beth, her brother, and their mother, Johanna, move in with relatives in town. There, Johanna makes a living sewing her exquisite quilts and Jo-Beth discovers a special friend. Kind, thoughtful, and deep, Wesley Rutherford draws Jo-Beth like a magnet... and their attachment to one another becomes strong - strong enough to endure separation while Wes studies in Philadelphia. Strong enough to make their future together seem certain, until the Civil War forces a decision that places Wes at odds with friends and family. Can their love survive a war that will rend a nation in two?

Like the pieces of silk, velvet, and ribbon in one of her mother's quilts, the patchwork events of Jo-Beth's life will be knit together by God into a pattern of their own - one of sorrow, joy, and grace.