When Alice Ellis stepped into the mud in Tutchone City, in the Alaskan Yukon, she had not come to pan for flake or dig for nuggets. Amid the men that would be rushing to the Klondike to find their fortunes in the cold hard earth she had another plan entirely. Raised in a brothel since infancy, Alice had other ways to make her fortune. Joseph Southers had come the year earlier seeking his wealth. He came to find his treasure and return home a rich man prepared to marry his Pennsylvania bride. When he encountered Alice he learned that a woman could be harder than permafrost or softer than a summer evening. He only needed to get through one to reach the other. He soon learned it might be easier to discover gold.