The War Between the States has left behind a welter of broken bodies and broken men. One of these is James Yancey, Lt. Colonel, CSA. At the end of the war, James decides to move west, to join his two brothers already settled in California. During a brief stop in Charleston, he meets a childhood friend, Emma Palmer, and seeks her hand in marriage. Emma is so overwhelmed by the excitement of the prospect that she accepts. Once James is settled, he will send for her to join him. In San Francisco, James reconnects with his brothers and buys a ranch. Meanwhile, Emma packs all her personal belongings and heads west, accompanied by her traveling companion, Molly Buchanan. While Emma dithers and complains about every small annoyance, Molly embraces each new adventure with a can-do spirit. James' sense of unease, almost of entrapment, increases the more time he spends with his betrothed. He is beginning to worry that he's made a big mistake. Especially since he is more drawn to Molly and her quiet competence than he is to the girl he invited to journey across the country. James is nothing if not an honorable man and he knows that sole responsibility for Emma rests on his shoulders. Yet he wants only to be with Molly. To complicate matters further, Rosa Alfaro, the ranch housemaid, and resident troublemaker, has decided she wants James. And nothing is going to stand in her way.