In Margaret Mitchell's Civil War–based epic, Scarlett O'Hara is infatuated with the dapper Ashley Wilkes, an archetypal antebellum Southern gentleman. But Ashley is in love with another belle, the sweet Melanie Hamilton, and a falling out between Scarlett and Ashley occurs just as Rhett Butler swoops in. But their relationship is rocky throughout the war, and by the time the Confederacy is defeated and Scarlett has professed her love, Rhett just doesn't give a damn.