Gus Dempsey is a newly trained dog handler in the United States Marine Corps, and when he is deployed to Afghanistan he is paired with Loki, a bomb-sniffing black Labrador with a mischievous streak.

Andrew believes in the importance of loyalty. He is loyal to his family, his hound dog Dash, and his country the Confederate States of America. Although he's too young to join the Confederate Army, Andrew is welcomed into the Home Guard, a group of men who track down deserters and runaways. He and Dash make a great team. But hunting people is very different from hunting raccoons. And soon Andrew's loyalty will be tested like never before.