Tobias MacIvey and his wife Emma have moved from Georgia to Florida in the 19th century, along with their son, Zecheriah. When the Civil War erupts, Tobias is drafted into the Confederacy and forced to farm their cattle, but that leaves his family unprovided for, since he had provided for his family by hunting. With him gone, the family experiences plagues: the death of their oxen, a mosquito infestation, and then, mutinous Confederate deserters burgle them.
Zecheriah ends up being something like the provider in the home, and he saves his mother from a bear. They live amongst Florida's diverse and intimidating wildlife. They also suffer from winter colds, hurricanes, and ticks.
One day, Tobias finds a deserted cow, and he keeps it, walking it back to his home and building it a pen. He finds some dogs, and a Native American named Keith teaches Tobias how to fatten his cows to get more money for them at market. He finds a helper named Skillit who is a former slave. He starts a farm, taking his fares to Punta Rassa to sell.
Now Zecheriah (Zech for short) inherits the farm. He marries Glenda, but he is also having an affair with a Native American named Tawanda. They each become pregnant, and Glenda's child is named Solomon, and Tawanda's child is named Tobias. The farm has grown strong, and Zech grows the business even further, but one day, Glenda and Zecheriah are killed, and young Solomon (Sol) inherits the farm. Sol and Toby fight bitterly about the environment, but Sol gets rich from land development. He becomes a multimillionaire. The two reconvene at Solomon's death bed, and they make their peace before he passes.
