Go West the headlines said. Two families set out from Missouri by wagon train, headed for California and the Oregon Territory. Five months on the trail gave twelve-year-old Frances Swanson and ten-year-old Laurel Hutchinson plenty of time to become friends. When their paths diverged, they feared they would never see each other again. But life is unpredictable. When a comely young carpenter named Frank Swan takes on a remodeling job for Laurel's school for girls, he brings with him an odd familiarity. Whether it is Fate or True Love, Frank and Laurel's lives will never be the same.