A romantic story of two young people that meet by chance in Colorado around the turn of the century, and eventually fall in love. Penny was born and raised in the area and grew up on the family ranch with her parents and older brother until her mother passed away unexpectedly. Her father owned one of the banks in Denver but had always lived on the ranch and raised cattle until after his wife died. Penny's father moved into town and her brother moved away as they were all attempting to cope with their loss in different ways. Penny had her dog Ranger and went to the spring by the hollow tree for comfort, and the mysteries that surrounded it. She remained on the ranch and worked hard, but was lonely and wanted to experience life in a larger city. She had often thought about visiting Kansas City, or possibly Saint Louis, but never had the opportunity to go to either place. Penny meets a young man that came to work at her father's bank and had lived in Saint Louis previously. They developed a relationship between them that gradually turned to love, and would last for many years.