By James Kahn

By 1862, the Union had blockaded all Confederate ports. Just across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas, Matamoros was the only harbor through which the South could ship its cotton to Europe and smuggle in arms for the rebellion. As a result, it became a haven for Yankee and Rebel spies, diplomats, gunrunners, cotton smugglers, runaway slaves, bandits, Texas Rangers, and rogues of every stripe.

But Matamoros was also full of French Foreign Legionnaires, because that same year, Napoleon III invaded Mexico to install Archduke Maximilian of Austria as emperor. Set against the backdrop of two wars, this is the story of Clay—an expatriate Southern gentleman who runs a gambling hall—and Allie, his ex-con-artist partner, who is bringing her cotton train to market. Their star-crossed affair may or may not survive their conflicted allegiances amid the tides of battle.