Summery

Set during the Civil War, Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain is a tale of a young Confederate soldier's journey back to his home and his pre-war love Ada upon narrowly escaping death during fighting. After witnessing the horrors of war first hand, Inman decides to desert. His journey home takes him though the unforgiving elements of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains where he is often forced to battle it out with either the locals or the Home Guard.

Running Parallel to Inman's journey is Ada's quest for survival, which also is a battle. Upon her father's death, she finds herself without funds and ill equipped to work the farmland. She teams up with a young woman named Ruby who proves to be quite a workhorse.

Ultimately Inman and Ada come upon each other during a December snowstorm up on Cold Mountain. At first glance Ada doesn't seem to recognize Inman, but as he starts to walk away she realizes. On their descend from Cold Mountain, Inman is eventually shot in a final battle with the Home Guard, and he dies in Ada's arms. Previously, however, while stuck on Cold Mountain attending to Ruby's father's wounds, Inman and Ada finally fulfilled their desires in a night of passion, which later resulted in Ada giving birth to a baby girl.