Tracie Peterson, from her own Montana home, paints an unforgettable portrait of the rich, rugged landscape of the 1860's West, populated by strong and spirited characters. When Dianne Chadwick urges her family to move west to her uncle's ranch in the Montana Territory, she has no idea that her new life in the rugged frontier - and even within her uncle's home - will not be the idyllic adventure she expects.

Jeffery O'Donnell is captivated by the mysterious Simone, who arrives at his office hoping to acquire a position as a Harvey Girl at the popular way-stops along the frontier rail line. Jeffery is torn, however, when he suspects that Simone may harbor a disturbing secret.

In 1869, Gloriana Womack's family is much smaller since smallpox killed her mother and two of her siblings. She lives in a modest cottage in Duluth, Minnesota, with her father and young brother, and she has dedicated her life to holding her tiny, fractured family together - especially as her father is frequently gone on long fishing trips. Their livelihood may come from the waters of Lake Superior, but storms on the lake can be dangerous, even to those who know it well. Luke Carson has come to Duluth to help shepherd the arrival of the railroad to the city's port.

Life's tough on the Montana Territory, especially for the three sisters running the Gallatin Roadhouse - guilt-ridden Gwen, romantic Beth, and headstrong Lacy. Gwen was married at 22, but her husband, Harvey, died 10 days later. When his brother, Hank, turns up looking for stocks he claims Harvey stole, Gwen's perplexed. Will Hank steal her heart?

With starvation stalking in 1915 Alaska, Leah welcomes her brother Jacob's dogsled full of supplies. But not until she unwraps the scarf-covered sled driver does she realize she's been embracing Jacob's friend Jayce, the man who broke her heart a decade ago. Although she insists that Jacob get rid of Jayce immediately, a sudden snow storm and a disabling injury delay his departure.

Marty Dandridge Olson is a widow looking for a way out of Texas. Widower Jake Wythe has secured a job as a bank manager in Denver, only to discover that the bank board wants him to be a married man. With Texas in his roots, he advertises for a Lone Star bride, and Marty answers the call. They both agree they are done with romance and love and will make this nothing more than a marriage of convenience. Marty works to carve out a new life in high-society Denver as Jake works to guide the bank through a collapsing economy.

Recently widowed Susanna Jenkins has decided to follow her family to the booming town of San Marcial, New Mexico, for a fresh start and to aid in her family's sudden change in fortune. They are tasked with managing her uncle's new Grand Hotel, and it takes all her patience to try to help her parents see the good of their circumstances and relinquish their sense of entitlement.

When her father disappears in war-torn Mississippi, Hannah Dandridge finds herself responsible not only for her younger siblings but also for the Texas ranch her father recently acquired. A marriage of convenience could ease her predicament, but is it the true desire of her heart? Wounded soldier William Barnett returns home only to find out that his family’s ranch has been seized. He’s surprised to discover that it is a beautiful young woman with amazing fortitude who is struggling to keep the place running.

After her father's death, Lizzy Brookstone, the star trick rider of the all-female Brookstone Wild West Extravaganza, loses interest in performing. Ella Fleming is fleeing a forced engagement when she stows away on the Brookstone train. Lizzy finds her and gives her a job in the costume department. When Mary Reichert, a former sharpshooter for the show, learns that her brother, August, has been killed at the Fleming farm, she returns to the show to find the truth, As the three women work together to discover how August died, Lizzy strives to hold the show together.

Driven by desperation, Grace Hawkins must forsake the affluent comfort of her upbringing to save herself from an arranged marriage. Disillusioned by her father's insistence, she forges a daring plan to escape the sinister hand of her intended. Peter Colton sees the Alaskan gold rush as an opportunity to establish his family's fledgling shipping business. An unexpected partnership enables him to pursue those dreams and opens the door to an acquaintance with Grace, who has purchased passage north.

For Havyn Powell, growing up on her grandfather Chuck Bondrant's dairy outside the 1904 gold-rush boomtown of Nome, Alaska, offered all she needed. She had the love of her mother, two sisters, and grandfather. But now, at 23, Havyn realizes the stability of her life may soon vanish. Havyn is determined to find a way to keep the family together, but her grandfather's health is declining and everyone seems to be holding secrets from each other, including the handsome, dark-haired stranger who recently arrived.

Emily Carver wants a home where she can put down roots instead of following her gold-hungry father from one mining camp to another. She also longs for tenderness and love, both of which are missing in her life. Yet when she realizes she's losing her heart to the intriguing new man in camp, she fiercely fights her feelings, afraid that love will only result in disappointment and heartache.

Gwen, Beth, and Lacy Gallatin fashion a life for themselves in the Montana wilds, operating a roadhouse that is located at the crossroads of two major stage lines. When their father is accidentally killed, the oldest sister, Gwen, reasons that she's cursed. After all, death seems to haunt her: her mother, now her father...and she was married for a mere ten days before her husband died from a bout of measles.

After being educated in the east, Deborah Vandermark returns to Perkinsville, Texas, where her family is part of the thriving logging industry. She brings along an unexpected companion—her best friend, who is fleeing a wedding and groom she has no interest in. A determined matchmaker, Deborah sets her sights on uniting her brother and friend in what she hopes will be a true love match.

Portland, Oregon, 1879. Nancy Pritchard finds herself a widow with a world of problems when her deceased husband's schemes start to come to light. As she searches through the pieces of her loveless marriage, Nancy realizes there is a lot that she didn't know about this man. Seth Carpenter is a childhood friend of Nancy's who has recently returned to Portland. He's delighted to see her again, and as a lawyer, he is able to help her sort through the legal aspects of her husband's death.