The Middleton's family, in 1850, is the richest in the Northern region of Georgia with a prestigious plantation. Nathaniel Middleton, a noble and honorable man, marries Sara Hopton and therefore becomes one of the co-owners of her plantation. His identical twin brother and polar opposite, James Middleton, finds himself in gambling debts with the wrong sort of people. These people attempt to kill James for nonpayment, but kill Nathaniel unknowingly. Recognizing that he is fatally wounded and fearing for his brother's safety, Nathaniel forces James to take his place before he dies. James struggles with Nathaniel's life and soon finds himself falling in love with Nathaniel's wife, Sara. As the deception continues, Sara discovers that there are far more deadly secrets on the Hopton plantation than the identity switch.

The retelling of June 6, 1944, from the perspectives of the Germans, US, British, Canadians, and the Free French. Marshall Erwin Rommel, touring the defenses being established as part of the Reich's Atlantic Wall, notes to his officers that when the Allied invasion comes they must be stopped on the beach. "For the Allies as well as the Germans, it will be the longest day"