1873 Bucharest, Romania. A pregnant girl-child has been abandoned on the steps of a private residence. She is weak and has tuberculosis in addition to her advanced pregnancy. She is taken in by the residents, and cared for until her delivery. She dies two days later. Her baby is adopted by the neighboring family. At sixteen, her adoptive father dies and her mother takes her to a marriage broker to find a husband. The search is successful and they marry. Their circumstances take them to Nebraska where they join Pioneer Life, working to settle the great American Midwest.