Thomas, owner of the "Tombee" plantation, kept a daily journal between 1845-1858, which formed the catalyst for this book. Chaplin later enhanced his journal by updating many of the entries, describing what happened to the islanders, and comparing life before and after the Civil War (1861-1865). The war brought poverty to the plantation owners, whose former slaves found freedom and would inherit much of the land.

The journal was shown to Theodore Rosengarten, who immediately saw its potential. He spent a year transcribing it, and followed with four years of research identifying all the characters and places contained in it.

The final result is an absorbing 750 page history of life in the antebellum South, told from two perspectives. Part 1 gives a complete biography of Thomas Chaplin and the islanders, before, during and after the war. The second part contains about two thirds of the original journal, with many explanatory notes. It also features maps of the area, and genealogy charts for the Chaplin, Fripp and Jenkins families.