“The Plot” is a Civil War tale of historical fiction, much of it based on what actually happened in Central Kentucky during the 1860s conflict. It begins with a flashback by Clay McDowell, U.S. Marshal for Kentucky’s Eastern District, who’s plagued by a continuing dream about the War Between the States. The dream revolves around a Southern plot to capture President Abraham Lincoln or a member of his family in an effort to bring a negotiated end to the war. Along the way, McDowell goes against a counterfeiting and spy ring in Central Kentucky, meets and falls in love with actress and Union spy Pauline Cushman, and is called to Washington as the Marshal Service confronts the Lincoln conspirators and is involved in the trial and execution of Mary Surratt.