this is a story about a girl who wanted things to happen to hercelia garth lived in charleston south carolina during the american revolution she had blond hair and brown eyes and a sassy face and she worked in a fashionable dressmaking shopthings did happen to celia but not as she had planned the kings army captured charleston the ravisher tarleton swept through the carolina countryside in a wave of blood and fire and debauchery caught up in the ruin were celia and her friends the merryminded darren jimmy whose love for celia brought her into his tragedy the fascinating vivian five times married godfrey rich and powerful who met disaster because he could control anything in town but the weather the daredevil lukemost people thought the revolution was lost many americans like celias handsome cousin roy joined the kings side then out of the swamps appeared francis marionmarion was a little man marion was also crippled but as luke said of him when that mans leading a charge he looks nine feet tallin the dressmaking shop celia became a spy for marion she sewed she smiled sweetly and in secret she risked her life sending information to this man that the kings whole army could not catch the mighty little man to whom tarleton angrily gave the name swamp foxfrom the front end flap