Description

“The Vandalians” chronicles the lives of Andrew McCandlish and Annie Cadle, who lived in the mountains of western Virginia during the Civil War.
Andrew witnesses the killing of his father by a rebel major but is reluctant to take revenge. He joins the Union Army and discovers upon his return that the major who killed his father has changed sides and is now serving as the county sheriff.
Andrew also suspects the spirit of an Indian -- killed 100 years ago by his great grandfather – has returned as a mountain lion and is unduly influencing his life. The short Indian poem in the prologue explains Andrew’s relationship with nature and the Indian spirit.
Annie gets involved with a traveling photographer and threatens to leave her home and family. But before she can act on the threat, she is abducted by the county sheriff, the former Major “Rob” Witscher. A close friend is accidentally killed in Annie’s rescue attempt. Witscher threatens to arrest her for the murder unless she succumbs to his demands. Confused and terrified, she shoots and wounds the sheriff and runs away with the photographer.
When Andrew hears of his friend’s death and Annie’s fate, he decides to confront Witscher. He devises a scheme whereby the sheriff’s undoing is a result of his own treacherous nature.