In 1884, a woman determined to establish her own destiny is thwarted by violence, abandonment and betrayal. She forges a bond with an immigrant Scottish couple who, ten years earlier, escaped a life of hopelessness in the service of the aristocracy and journeyed to the American West to build a ranch. She risks her life to help them overcome a brutal winter that threatens not only the couple's livelihood but their lives as well. Later, they join forces after the young woman makes an extraordinary discovery at Rock Creek on an abandoned property near the frontier town of Ryegrass.