In the early 1900s, Ellen Johnson's brother, Gus, develops Tuberculosis, and the family decides that 24-year-old Ellen will accompany Gus to Colorado so that he can "Take the Treatment." Thus begins Ellen's longed-for adventure far from the Kansas farm where she was raised. The story is set in and around what is now the US Air Force Academy, near Colorado Springs, CO, and is based on the real-life experiences of Ellen Johnson.