North and South Episode Rating Graph

Lincoln is elected President, and George pays a surprise visit to Orry to apologize for what his fanatical sister said on their last visit and they resolve their differences, with Orry finally consenting to Brett marrying Billy. Ashton is still out for revenge and arranges for Billy to be attacked on the street, though it's not successful. She then turns to her lover Forbes LaMotte, Justin's nephew, to get the deed done, and Billy and Brett's wedding seems to be just the right day. Madeline overhears the plot and rushes to tell Orry, who tells her she will stay at Mont Royal and never return to Justin. Bent plots to run any blockade imposed on Southern ports. Orry travels to Pennsylvania to finish repaying George his investment in the cotton mill and realizes the full extent of the hatred that now exists. Confederate forces attack Fort Sumter and war is declared, forcing George and Orry say farewell, not knowing what the future may hold for their families or their friendship.

Charles and Orry set out to rescue George Hazard, who is being held at Libby Prison in Richmond. They make sure he gets back to Union lines and he makes it home for Christmas. As he recovers, however, he learns that a warrant has been issued for his arrest for selling faulty cannons to the Army. He goes after Morgan, the black marketeer, and his brother Stanley does the right thing. At Mont Royal, Brett has an unfortunate encounter with Salem Jones. Madeline has been continuing her good works in Charleston, helping those living in the shanty town and gets Rafe Baudeen's help when a group of young boys are taken to dig rifle pits for the army. Bent continues to dream of taking control of the Confederacy and gets Ashton to sleep with a contributor. Bent has a large stash of ammo and powder but Orry is soon onto him. An exhausted Charles visits Augusta Barclay.

With the war having come to an end, Orry and Madeline are living in Richmond until Mont Royal can be rebuilt, where Bent and Ashton pay them a visit. Ashton thinks it's to get money out of Orry, but Bent has revenge in mind. Ashton pushes Bent into the river and when he awakens, he can't remember who he is. Madeline relocates to South Carolina, intent on rebuilding their former home. With the help of Prudence, she also wants to build a school. George Hazard visits Madeline with a business proposition. After his visit, Madeline gets a night time visit by the Ku Klux Klan. Just as he arrives home in Lehigh Station, Pennsylvania George finds that Bent has already been there.

With Madeline's school burned to the ground by the Klan, they decide to rebuild. Cooper Main has discovered phosphates on Mont Royal land and with Isabelle Hazard as an investor, begins a mining operation. The conditions of work are poor, however, and the former slaves who work there are forced into another kind of servitude when they are forced to use the company store to buy their supplies, kept in perpetual debt. In Pennsylvania, George Hazard is bereft over the loss of Constance and has become obsessed with finding Bent and exacting his revenge. He has Pinkerton's men tracking him, but they always seem to be one step behind. It takes a visit from Madeline to save him from himself. Ashton has given up prostitution and is now focusing on her new husband's piano business, obsessed with raising enough money to buy Mont Royal. Charlie Main meanwhile refuses to settle down with Willa and continues to roam the West, now as an army scout searching for Scar, who killed his friends.