The original libretto for Rappahannock County was inspired by events in the American Civil War and drawn from diaries, letters, and other accounts of the period. Performed by a cast of five singers who play over 30 roles, the narrative follows the lines of history chronologically—from secession in 1861 to surrender in 1865—and is divided into five parts:

Part 1: Secession. In the onrush to war, a preacher tells his congregation that slavery is sanctified by God, an affluent woman calls it "a noble institution," and a politician rails against the federal government's violation of states' rights. While two slaves imagine what their lives would be like if they were free, a Virginian bids farewell to his home state as the South declares war. The victory at Manassas is celebrated.

Part II: The "Quick" War. A young man listens to his master and wife discussing the war and tells his fellow slaves what he heard. A cartographer for the confederacy laments the destruction of the land he's mapping for them. A soldier dies after seeing snow for the first time. Two slaves cross the Rappahannock River to freedom in the north.

Part III. The Reality of War. A woman makes confectionary treats to extract information from Yankee troops that she then shares with a confederate spy. A freed slave disdains the Emancipation Proclamation, while a woman expresses her concerns about the changes sudden freedom will bring to her life. A confederate soldier wastes away in a hospital as he questions dying for the cause.

Part IV. The Lost Cause. A nurse, who has lost a husband and son, bemoans the expressions in soldiers' eyes she tends to. A mortician brags about his booming business. A former slave grieves over the death of her baby who died from disease in a "contraband" camp. A deserter denounces the war before he is hanged. A black soldier for the Union decides to spare the life of a Confederate soldier at the end of his gun.

Part V. The Cruel War Is Over. A family mourns the loss of their house when they return to it. Two former slaves are joyful that they are now permitted to marry and all express hope about healing after the war has ended.