The story of a young woman and her older husband immigrating to the US shortly before the Civil War. Her husband enlists to secure the bounty, expecting it to improve their lives after the war. When her husband does not return from that war, this charming young woman is determined and eager enough to overcome the many obstacles confronting her. She strives to enhance her life and that of her children, while she considers whether to become romantically involved with a suave man-of-the-world, or is he a scoundrel?