Returning from the war, Gregory Taylor surveyed the bleak ruins of Laurel, his plantation, and the small village of Crossroads. The sight that greeted Gregory was not a pretty one, but despair was not a Taylor characteristic. under Gregory's hard-driving leadership, the town recovered and flourished and was renamed Laurelton in Gregory's honor. Gregory's son, Jonas, carried on after him and built Laurelton into a thriving industrial city. As the years passed, Jonas saw all his plans for further building and expansion realized. But one thing marred his satisfaction. After a miscarriage and several stillbirths, his wife Charlotte gave birth to a frail and sickly son, Ames. Ames had none of the Taylor drive and vigor and was a great disappointment to Jonas. Not until his first grandchild was born did Jonas see a promise of the return of the old Taylor spirit. But unfortunately Stuart grew up to be as selfish and cruel as he was strong. It was when Ames' second son, Wayne, had come of age, that a fierce struggle for control of the Taylor industries began, the resolution of which provides a thrilling climax to the saga of a great family dynasty.