Conscience Williams is torn between her love for her aging father, a minister steeped in the puritanical values of old New England, and the young Virginian who was born and raised in the southern chivalrous tradition. The many and conflicting emotions which stir deep within her envelop this tale of desire, devotion, inner strength, treachery, and individuality. Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, The Tyranny of Weakness is a gripping and intense story of life, injustice, and the complexities of human relationships.