In 1873, Mary Harrington’s husband leaves her and their five-year-old son on a homestead in remote Nebraska. Three months later, he still has not returned. Mary does not know if he is dead or alive. Mary and her son have run out of food and fuel to heat their sod house.

Mary is a small, uncertain woman. She fears she does not have what it takes to take care of them. But their lives are at a mortal crossroad; if they wait, they will soon starve or freeze to death. They must leave. Their survival is up to her, but how?