Gone with the Wind features a romance in the American Civil War. Scarlett O''Hara, daughter of the proprietor of the Georgia Plantation of Tara is a pretty Southern belle. Inherited from his Irish father, she is strong-minded and has a deep connection to Tara. She has numerous suitors, but she has a crush on the handsome and chivalrous Ashley Wilkes.
Only before the breakout of the Civil War in April, 1861, the 16-year-old Scarlett hears that Ashley is engaged to his cousin Melanie Hamilton, she decides to confess her feelings to Ashley and persuades him to elope with her. To her dismay she was declined by Ashley and their conversation was overheard by Rhett Butler. As a retaliation to Ashley Scarlett willfully marries Melanie''s timid bother Charles. Shortly afterwards, the War broke out and Ashley and Charles all go off to war. Charles dies of measles only two months later. Being a widowed mother, Scarlett hates the restrictive and boring life. She takes a trip to Atlanta, the capital of the Confederate to stay with Melanie. There Scarlett meets Rhett again. Now a famous blockade-runner to get necessities for the south, Rhett starts to go after Scarlett.
In August 1864, Atlanta is under siege, the citizens begin to flee in panic. As Melanie is too pregnant to relocate, Scarlett has to remain with her and delivers her baby. The defeated confederate army abandons Atlanta and the Yankee is about to enter into the city. Scarlett turns to Rhett for help in getting out of Atlanta. But on way to Tara, Rhett leaves Scarlett, Melanie and her baby to join the Confederate army. After a narrow escape, Scarlett returns home, only to find her home ravaged by the Yankees, her mother died, her father demented, her two sisters suffered from typhoid fever, and they all in want of food. Now the 19-year-old Scarlett is not any more the spoiled coquette who only concerns about balls and beautiful dresses, she has to take care of the whole family. In a fit of rage and hunger, she makes this bold claim: I swear I will never go hungry again.
After the war ends, Scarlett makes Tara the driving force in her life. She tries to protect Tara, by fair means or foul. In order to get money to pay tax on Tara, she goes to meet Rhett in jail, seducing him to marry her to get the money. Yet Rhett sees through her plan and refused her request. Then she determines to marry her sister''s new-rich fiancé Frank Kennedy to pay the tax to save Tara. After Rhett comes out of jail, he loans Scarlett money to buy a sawmill. She uses prisoners as workers in the mill. One day she is attacked by several blacks when she rides back from the mill. In an action by Ku Klux Klan, a newly formed organization intended to protect whites against violent blacks for Scarlett''s attack Frank is shot dead. Scarlett marries to Rhett hastily, they moved into the most luxury house of Atlanta, and shortly afterwards, their daughter Bonnie is born. Rhett spares no efforts in regaining the good favor of the old Southern matrons for the sake of Bonnie. But Scarlett is still in love with Ashley. One night as she shared their old days'' happiness before the war with Ashley, who takes her in his arms. And quickly this is known to Rhett and Melanie. Rhett keeps the life going as before for Bonnie till one day, Bonnie is dead. Rhett abandons himself to drinking, and ignores Scarlett completely.
Melanie, at her death bed, asks Scarlett to take care of Ashley. Seeing the desperately weeping Ashley Scarlett realizes that the Ashley she loves for so many years is not existed and it is Rhett that she really loves. She runs to home to Rhett, only to find that he is decided to leave her for ever. At this moment, Scarlett feels Rhett takes all the glow of her life with him. She only has one choice left, that is: going back to Tara. She feels so tired to bear all this. She speaks to herself, Tomorrow is another day…
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