Four summers waiting

Set in Long Island and Washington City, it is the story of Maria Onderdonk, daughter of a prominent judge. The time is just before the Civil War, when tempers run high, and the Underground Railroad aids runaway slaves to freedom. Through her friend Caroline, a passionate abolitionist, Maria attends an anti-slavery meeting where she meets Henry Simms. Henry is moonlighting as a conductor on the underground Railroad while finishing medical school. There is an immediate attraction between the two. During the four summers of the Civil War, their relationship deepens, but conflict and tragedy intervene, hard decisions must be faced, and marriage must wait.