Jennine Landers is a young girl in 1898 who lives on a farm in Iowa with her parents and brothers. She deals with abuse from her stepfather and brothers on an everyday basis. When the abuse goes too far Jennine finally realizes that she needs to get away.

An opportunity arises through a friend in town who is looking for someone to be a nanny and teacher for their younger children and finds herself traveling in a covered wagon with the Norganstand and Dahllen families to Wisconsin. While traveling with the families she is able to see and learn what a loving family is about compared to what...