Dedicated devotees of history gather near Corinth, Mississippi, carrying ancient weapons and dressed in authentic Civil War uniforms, to refight the Battle of Kirby Creek. But during the reenactment, a sniper's bullet rips through an unsuspecting participant . . . and a man who lived for mock war dies for his obsession.

The fatal shot was intended for Kenny Beeman—a Mississippi cop standing next to the victim—a grim discovery that compels the dead man's widow to enlist the aid of her former lover, news photographer John Rane. Armed with an accurate Sharps Civil War rifle and live ammunition, Rane must now join forces with Beeman in a bizarre world of pretend soldiers. For a modern-day war born of corruption and greed is about to erupt on hallowed ground—and the battlefield of Shiloh will run red with blood once again.