Plot:

The novel starts at Tara, Georgia, the O’Hara family cotton platation, immediately before the Civil War. Scarlett O’Hara is acquanited about Ashley’s engagement to Melanie and she tricks Charles Hamiltono into marrying her, even if she is convinced to love Ashley. After Charles’s death in the Confederate Army, Melanie (who, meanwhile, goes back to Atlanta after her marriage and Ashley’s enlistment) and her uncle Pittypat convince Scarlett to bring her baby for a long stay, and there she becomes trapped by the war. On the night Atlanta is burning by the Union Army, with Melanie having just given birh, Scarlett understands how dangerous their staying would be, so she convinces Rhett Butler to help them to escape. He steals a horse and a wagon so that they could return to Tara.

Once arrived – without Rhett – Scarlett finds her beloved mother – Ellen – has died, that her two sisters are both ill, and her father – Gerald – out of his mind. She has no supplies, no horses, only some slaves and many plantations around completely burnt to the ground by the Union Army. She decides to go back to Atlanta to get the high taxes newly demanded on Tara by the winners. She hopes in Rhett’s help, but she discovers he is in prison. She meets him there and offers herself as collateral for the tax money. Though he seems interested in the proposal, his admiration for her courage does not allow him to accept, nor can he reach his money an account of the political situation. So Scarlett decides to lie to Frank Kennedy so that he will marry her because he has the money she needs. He also has a store which promises more if Scarlett’s heartless and aggressive business methods are used: she has already been badly considered by the society for her "unwidowlike" behaviour, consequently she has no reason not to pursue her goal. She marries him and she goes to live at Pittypat’s house. She has promised herself she would never be hungry again and she finds another way to make money: infact she buys and manages two saw mills. Even if Frank does not agree, she borrows some money from Rhett. Her husbands indulges on her behaviour because he thinks that another baby will put an end to her behaviour. They have a daughter, Ella, but Scarlett does not change her way of living and managing her life and business. So she goes on with her business in Atlanta, even travelling through the dangerous area of Shantytown, a place inhabited by freed slaves, lawbreakers and prostitutes. She has a bodyguard, Archie, who is not willing to protect her since she exploits ex-convicts who work in her mills. She is buttonholed while crossing Shantytown, and Frank and Ashley – that are both members of the Ku Klux Klan – feel they must intervene in order to protect her honour: in the fight Frank is killed and Ashley wounded. Only Rhett’s inteventions prevents a worse ending.

Now she is widow for the second time and with two small children. She decides to marry Rhett and she starts going about with "scalawags" and "carpetbaggers"; the two build a whole net of new friends. After Melanie’s death, and being Asley finally "free", Scarlett realizes she does not love him at all, but that she actually loves Rhett. As soon she realizes it, their only child – Bonnie – dies while riding a horse. Rhett gets almost crazy and blames himself for the accident. In any way Scarlett’s tries to show Rhett her true love, but he seems to have ceased loving her.

Part One

Chapters I to VII
From Tara to Ashley's birthday barbecue where his engagement to Melanie is announced and Fort Sumter spurs the beginnings of the American Civil War.

Chapters VIII to XVI
From Tara to Scarlett's early years of the war in Atlanta with Aunt Pitty and Melanie.

Chapters XVII to XXX
Scarlett's escape just before September 1864's Surrender of Atlanta back to Tara and the hardships there.

Chapters XXXI to XLVII
Post-bellum, "carpetbagger" taxes force Scarlett to return to Atlanta where she ends up married to Frank.

Chapters XLVIII to LXIII
Her marriage to Rhett Butler and realization that she never could love Ashley.

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