Chapter 1 Summary

Scarlett O'Hara, the eldest daughter to Gerald and Ellen O'Hara, sits on the front porch of her plantation, Tara, with the spirited Tarleton twins, Brent and Stuart, who were just kicked out of the fourth university they had attended. Scarlett is not the most beautiful girl of 16, but she has learned how to use her charm to win over most of the men in the county, and it is no different with the twins. As Brent and Stuart begin to turn their talk toward the impending war against the North, Scarlett's quick temper rises a bit. Scarlett flirtatiously reprimands them and turns the conversation toward the picnic at the Wilkes plantation, Twelve Oaks, that will be taking place the next day.

Brent and Stuart think her disinterest in the war is a credit to her femininity, though just a few years ago she...