It historically has been a man's world. But in 1861, seeing young soldiers fighting in the American Civil War die needlessly due solely to lack of timely medical care in the army hospitals, Clara Barton, rallying other women around her, fought to have women working in army hospitals to prevent those needless deaths. But the war comes and goes, with some army nurses among the dead because of fighting men not recognizing the sanctity of hospitals as a safe place for medical aid, and Barton's fight still balked at by many men in power as army hospitals are deemed a place not suitable for the weaker sex. Barton retires to Switzerland, where a new international organization has been formed to provide humanitarian relief, much of it during wartime and much of it being medical aid. The United States is one of the few countries who has not recognized the organization, which bears as its symbol a red cross. But Barton returns to the United States and, with assistance from old relationships and a few more wars along the way, is able ultimately to establish the American Red Cross, which provides a recognizable symbol of humanitarian aid respected by all, even during a war.