On Ido, island of Sphinx people, love and monogamy are strictly prohibited, physical pleasures abound, and a brewing civil war pits youth and virility against age and experience.

"Maryland, My Maryland"" was one of the most popular Confederate songs during the American Civil War, yet its story is full of ironies that draw attention to the often painful and contradictory actions and beliefs that were both cause and effect of the war. James A. Davis illuminates the incongruities underlying this Civil War anthem and what they reveal about patriotism during the war.