''Benton's Row'' is set in nineteenth-century Louisiana, and the sweeping family saga spans four generations of the turbulent Benton family, stretching from 1842 through World War I. Upon its release, it became a massive commercial success, ranking tenth on the Publishers Weekly bestseller list for that year.

The story begins in 1842 when Tom Benton, an outlaw running from a Texas posse, arrives in Louisiana's Red River Valley. Described as a charming but thoroughly ruthless rogue, Tom quickly builds a powerful dynasty by stealing another man's land and his wife, Sarah.

While Tom rules the bayou country from his massive plantation, Broad Acres, his chaotic nature breeds a deeply dysfunctional family tree:
Stormy -- his wild and headstrong daughter who runs away to live the glittering life of a courtesan.
Wade -- his weak-willed legitimate son who inherits his father's flaws but none of his strength, eventually betraying Tom to his death.
Clint Dupré -- Tom's unacknowledged, illegitimate son born from an affair with a Cajun woman, whose presence triggers long-term destruction for the family.

The multi-generational curse of the family finally culminates in the threat of a violent downfall in 1920, right as the family matriarch, Sarah, passes away at the age of 97.