After the death of her father in 1885, twenty-two-year-old Kate Bradford finds herself alone and lonely in Charleston, South Carolina. She's had some success teaching piano to make ends meet. Even so, life is a struggle. It grows worse when her repugnant landlord, Homer Barnes, makes unwelcome advances toward her. Kate is desperate for change. She answers an intriguing advertisement, which launches her on a journey of a lifetime aboard the transcontinental...