The story begins in a dirty, dangerous frontier town, where many people gather, believing their hopes and hoping in their beliefs. Mary is one of the many who have hope, but the feeling soon turns to despair, as her husband is shot and mortally wounded.
Mary never expected to face such devastating circumstances so early in life, or in such an unfriendly environment. This was meant to be the beginning of their great adventure. Now, some say her husband is a victim, others, the price paid in the name of a national progress called migration.
Necessity breeds innovation, Mary is forced to cope with the unimaginable loss and find a way to survive, as her daughter cannot be abandoned to Mary's self serving grief.
Aggie, Mary's daughter, faces her own hardships when a man takes advantage of an opportunity, Mary doesn't hesitate coming to the defense of her only child.
Many obstacles attempt to destroy the little peace they find. A hurried second marriage seems to be the answer to an immediate problem; at a later date Mary discovers the true nature of her second husband.
While Mary's and Aggie's lives continue, so does their journey across the rugged land. Wagon train life is arduous and difficult at the best of times, but when they become victims of ignorance and then abandonment, hope, comes in the unexpected form of death.
Uniting with their kind of people, Mary and Aggie fight for survival the only way they know how, by taking one day at a time, and by acting instead of reacting. With team work, determination and a little luck, they find salvation, which for both of them comes in different forms. Ultimately that is what we are all searching for.