Presents the story of Scarlett O'Hara, a Southern belle who enjoys her socialite lifestyle and the attention of many eligible single rich men. This idyllic lifestyle is shattered by the onset of the U.S. Civil War that eventually reduces her home to near ruins. Robbed of the luxuries she loved, she vows to grow strong so she will never be poor again. She begins to ruthlessly climb to the top of the new social order. Scarlett also has a complex, love-hate relationship with Rhett Butler, a man of questionable morals.