At her great aunt's funeral she was startled by how few people showed up for such a sweet but, admittedly, quirky woman who had lived so very long. Great Aunt Judith had outlived everyone in the family of her generation and a few of the next. Sonnet knew she didn't have a lot of family left. Her parents had both passed, leaving behind her and her younger brother, Cord. Her older cousins, Oliver, and his twin sister, Octavia, survived of Sonnet's father's family. Her mother's family was all gone as far as Sonnet knew. This seemed like a tragic story since all of the cousins were quite young to have lost so many people. Then Sonnet read a note that had been left for her by Judith and realized the accidental and natural causes of death in her family may have not been natural or accidental. Figuring out how to deal with what her aunt reveals to her may be the story of how she lives and how she dies.

In 1849 Lenoir Town meets Clarence George right before he takes the biggest risk of his life. Hitching up with him they take their wagon on the Oregon, California, and Applegate trails before settling in their own paradise. Paradise often seems lost on the great emigrant road, but Lenoir, a strong American woman, finds a way to go home.