In the final months of the Civil War, Virginia and her family move to Washington, D.C., where the cold winter brings uncertainty and hardship. Virginia takes a job as a servant in a wealthy home to help her family. But just as things start to improve ­ her father gets a job and the war finally comes to an end ­ the tragic assassination of Ginny's beloved President Lincoln occurs. In this, her second diary chronicling the Civil War, Ginny learns that life is constantly changing.