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1842, a special summer day at the huge plantation of Mont Royal. A South Carolinian young man, Orry Main (Patrick Swayze), leaves his rich home for West Point Academy. On his way northwards, in very strange circumstances, he meets two people who will play a decisive role in his life: beautiful lady Madeline Fabray (Leslie-Anne Down), who Orry helps and with whom he falls in love, and a "Yankee", George Hazard (James Read), by whom Orry is helped, and who is also on his way to West Point Academy. From that time, Orry and George are best friends and help each other at every moment, they fight for the U.S. in the Mexican War at Churubusco, where George saves Orry's life. A few years later, the friendship of Orry and George spread to the friendship of their families, the Mains from South Carolina and the Hazards from Pennsylvania. Yet, the love of Orry's life, Madeline gets married to Justin LaMotte (David Carradine), the rich cruel owner of a nearby plantation in South Carolina. Their love cannot be fulfilled, and they only meet in secret. Years pass by and the relations between north and south are not that calm as in the past. Northern abolitionists demand the end of slavery while the south demands secession and separation from the "damn Yankees". Although George and Orry badly want peace between north and south, there is no escape from the inescapable fate. April 12, 1861, and the attack on the northern fortress Fort Sumter done by the southerners means the beginning of war. The two men, who fought together at Churubusco, will have to fight against each other. Friends will have to become enemies. Will war be stronger than peace of mind? Might the storm and noise of canons, rifles and bullets destroy honour, respect and true friendship?
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Episode 1
Sun, Nov 3, 198593 mins
1842, Orry Main leaves Mont Royal, the cotton plantation near Charleston (South Carolina) he's heir to, on his way to West Point for two years of officer's training. On the way he stops a runaway carriage, meets and falls in love with Madeline Fabray, who agrees to write to him. However she is moving from Atlanta with her father, Nicholas Fabray, who needs her to wed his rude neighbor, rich Resolute plantation owner Justin LaMotte. Fighting off scum trying to extort exorbitant porters wages, Orry meets fellow cadet George Hazard, son of a Pennsylvania machines manufacturer. The hazing lives up to its reputation, not in the least due to drill master Elkanah Bent. Georgian drillmaster Bent takes particular pleasure in humbling Ohio cadet Ned Fiske at sword-practice but is humiliatingly defeated by Carolinian Orry. Madeline no longer receives Orry's letters, so she become susceptible to Justin's generous courting. George and Orry decide to share their allowances with Fisk so he must not resign to run his sick dad's farm. Bent is so hell-bent on revenge that even saving his life during a demerit points-chase is cruelly 'rewarded'. Eighteen months later George introduces Orry to his Pennsylvania family, which takes to him, and their iron factory, run by dad William Hazard and eldest son Stanley. George's sister Virgilia is instantly hostile to the slave-holder, yet also attracted. Orry stops overseer Salem Jones happily whipping slave Priam, but father Tillet refuses either to sack the sadist or consider mechanizing, without which the plantation is doing badly.





