It is 1835 in Richmond, Kentucky, when a horse and buggy races down the road toward the home of Big Al and Lucy Bennings. Shortly after the buggy's arrival, a baby boy is born to a young farm couple, Brady and Anna Marie Patterson. As the Pattersons welcome little Patrick into their family, they embrace a new beginning fueled by hope.
It is not long before Brady is recruited to accompany a search party intent on traveling up the Kentucky River to search for new fertile farmland to homestead. Anna Marie, now pregnant with their second child, begs Brady not to leave, but despite her misgivings, he succumbs to the temptation of what he thinks will be a great adventure. As the scouts encounter one unforeseen event after another, Anna Marie faces her own trials and tribulations in Brady's absence. But it is only after she receives word that Brady has been injured that she realizes she is plagued with loneliness and makes a decision that changes everything.
In this historical tale filled with love, camaraderie, and adventure, a woman grows to become a strong pioneer and mother as her husband discovers his journey to a better life is more challenging than he ever realized.