Franklin Sutter was born in Alabama prior to the civil war. His parents were Marsha Lee Sutter, the white daughter of Jesse and Carolyn Sutter and Odelle Jones a black slave on their plantation. However, Franklin is white. His father, Odelle is banished from the plantation and Franklin is raised by his mother. When his mother dies, he's adopted by her brother and becomes heir to the family fortune while still a teenager, with his secret intact. His future travels take him to the seat of the power in the US and thence to California where he meets the legendary Tommy Sanchez, gets involved in a land war and marries into a Spanish aristocratic family, who are not aware of his secret. The climax comes when he's forced to reveal his secret.