Elsie Dinsmore

Elsie Dinsmore is an endearing eight-year-old girl who is very unhappy living at her Uncle's Southern plantation. As Elsie learns to handle her problems, she begins to learn more about herself and to depend on her faith in her heavenly Father for the peace and happiness she seeks.

Eight-year-old Elsie Dinsmore is enjoying Christmas with her family when a terrible crisis arises. She believes that obeying a request her father has made would violate her conscience, and she must refuse him. Elsie clings to her faith in God as, one by one, all the things she holds dear are taken from her, including even her father's presence.

As Elsie Dinsmore grows up and becomes a young woman, her family undergoes major changes. Her father, Horace Dinsmore, marries sweet Rose Allison, whom Elsie has loved since childhood. And she spends the summer with an eccentric aunt and experiences the joy of first love and the deep pain of betrayal. In an attempt to cure her broken heart, Elsie's family takes her on a tour of Europe. Upon her return—where and when she least expects it—Elsie discovers the delightful wonder of a true and enduring love.

It is a time for celebration as Elsie prepares to marry her beloved Edward. Following their wedding, the happy couple honeymoon at Viamede, childhood home of Elsie's mother in the bayou region of Louisiana. Here Elsie's faith matures, and she learns to share her belief with others in a meaningful way. Four children—Elsie, Edward, Violet, and Harold—are born to Elsie and Edward, who experience the joys and heart-aches of parenthood. Meanwhile, the country teeters on the brink of civil war. Mindful of the tragedies unfolding around her, Elsie is touched by the painful divisions brought on by the War between the States and the devastating loss of family and friends that accompanies it.

In a frightening incident, Elsie's husband, Edward Travilla, narrowly survives an accidental shooting when friends tease son Edward Jr. into firing a loaded pistol. The shot grazes Edward's head, and he survives with only minor damage. Soon life in the Travilla household returns to its calm routine. In the meantime, Elsie welcomes a cousin from Scotland who brings a very special talent with him as well as news of her mother's ancestral family. Elsie and Edward take great delight in their burgeoning family. The aftermath of the Civil War provides them with many opportunities to uphold their heritage and faith in practical ways, but they are caught up in a campaign against a powerful adversary—the Ku Klux Klan—as they fight to protect the innocent from unjust persecution.

During a stay at Viamede, the family is blessed with a new addition, Lily, “on loan” from heaven for a short time. Then Elsie takes in Cousin Molly, a young girl who has been injured in a fall. Next, Elsie befriends a nearly blind child of her former governess, and Ronald once again joins the family. As Elsie's children move from childhood into adulthood, young Elsie's heart is captured by a fine young man.