Life in depression-era California has always been difficult for Raquel. When she must flee her drunken stepfather's abuse, the young woman finds herself without a home or family. Raquel finds new hope with her husband and his family near the oilfield town of Taft, California, as she adjusts to her new life and her pretentious mother-in-law. In the midst of the Great Depression, tragedy strikes the family leaving Raquel and her mother-in-law, Naomi, with few options besides returning to a drought-plagued farm in Oklahoma. Raquel's former hard-luck life in the fields and squatters' camps of California proves valuable as the women struggle to find their way home and adapt to their new realities. On their journey, the two women discover genuine love requires sacrifice, but can be rewarded with uncompromising loyalty and a second chance at happiness.