When Sarah Clarke accompanies her father and a group of men from Massachusetts on a hunting trip into the Appalachian Mountains, America is just beginning its descent into Civil War. She has no idea how her life is about to changeor how the nation will change, and will shape the lives of her friends and family.

From Tennessee to Pennsylvania to Virginia, Shattered Hand tells the story of a young woman attempting to reconcile her shifting loyalties against the backdrop of wars harshest realities, including the continued oppressive treatment of negro slaves. Even after her father joins the Union Army, Sarah continues to nurse the soldiers of the Confederacy. Yet when her own life is threatened, Sarah must determine how much she is willing to risk to protect her own life and those she cares about.

Ultimately, Sarah must decide if she will be involved in a war she does not believe inbut is unable to escape.