The year is 1863. Wealthy Virginia landowner Charlie Anderson (James Stewart), a man of peace despite his autocratic behavior, steadfastly refuses to take sides in the Civil War. Bit by bit, Anderson's isolationism--and his way of living--is torn apart.
Charlie's daughter, Jannie Anderson (Rosemary Forsyth) falls in love with Confederate soldier Sam (Doug McClure). His youngest son, Boy Anderson (Philip Alford) is captured by the Confederate army and taken prisoner. Meanwhile, another son, James (Patrick Wayne) and his wife, Ann (Katherine Ross), are murdered by looters. And his oldest son, Jacob Glenn Corbett, is accidentally killed. How all of these personal tragedies culminate in a successfully sentimental finale is the peculiar charm of Shenandoah, which proved to be a hit with audiences on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. James Lee Barrett's screenplay was later adapted into a successful Broadway musical, starring Northern Exposure's John Cullum in the Stewart role.
