The story of the enduring friendship between Orry Main of South Carolina (Patrick Swayze) and George Hazard of Pennsylvania (James Read), who become best friends while attending the United States Military Academy at West Point but later find themselves and their families on opposite sides of the American Civil War.

James Read, Lesley-Anne Down, Patrick Swayze, Philip Casnoff, Terri Garber, Jonathan Frakes, Kyle Chandler, Cathy Lee Crosby, Mariette Hartley, Rya Kihlstedt, Tom Noonan, Stan Shaw, Rip Torn, Robert Wagner, Billy Dee Williams, Cliff DeYoung, Gary Grubbs, Chris Burke, Gregory Zaragoza, Peter O'Toole, Sharon Washington, Ann Dowd, Darryl Theirse, Cameron Finley, Brad Leland, Julius Tennon