Nancy Maguire, a blue blood from Boston, wants to find her place within the burgeoning society of the mid-nineteenth century. But her parents want her to marry. She envisions her life in California -- a land in the midst of warring factions -- where her dream of owning a horse ranch will come true.She locates a group travelling west, and Nancy quickly learns that women in her society do not have the same rights or equalities of their counterparts; the women of the group don't trust her independence and the men are threatened by it. On the trail, accompanied by Hart, a love she never expected to find, and Lottie, an irreplaceable friend, Nancy faces starvation, Indian warfare, thieves, and war. She travels across the wild frontier on her feisty mare with a wagonful of goods, and on the way she slowly ascertains the true meaning of independence.

Linda Sandifer weaves history and fiction into an epic tale with eloquent language and descriptions, making the reader feel the dust of the plains and the power of Mother Nature.