James Conner was born in 1794 in Ireland. He had an older brother William and they both fought for the British in the War of 1812 during which they saw portions of the United States. James escaped from the Army and joined with the Americans in 1815. In 1817 James married Elizabeth Nicholson in Ohio. The family later moved to Indiana. Children included William John, Margaret, Andrew Jackson, Jane, Mary, Samuel, James, George Washington, Robert, Benjamin Franklin and Elizabeth. Other localities include Oregon, Idaho and California.

Recovering from a near-death experience in his family home in the Georgia Appalachian Mountains, Fever Devilin finds his sanity questioned when he is approached by a woman from his past who claims to have had his baby, an encounter that precedes an attempt on his life.