Ella became a goal-driven woman before it was fashionable, or even acceptable. In spite of her mother's constant admonitions, Ella rejects the expectations put upon the "young ladies" of the 1950s. Her life will be decided only by her own choices, and she knows exactly what choices to make. But all that she has mentally built for her life comes to a swift end when a handsome but off-putting stranger arrives, and stubbornly refuses to leave. Fifty years later, Backus hasn't changed much. Jane hopes to fit in, but her bustling world in the Twin Cities was far from sufficient preparation for life in this seemingly quiet town. Life in Backus is not as uneventful as it seems, and as Jane begins researching the town's silenced past, she discovers that love, mysteries, and faith cross generations.