Six months after traveling the trail to Washington Territory, the town of Larksong hasn't become the utopia the Lark Family imagined. Instead, it's falling apart, much like recently-widowed Coraline Shay's life. Due to a degenerative eye disease, her vision is quickly failing. Once she goes completely blind, rather than helping to build Larksong, she'll become a burden on her already disgruntled sister. To protect them both, Coraline swallows her guilt and devises a plan to trap an honorable man into marriage. Luckily, her chosen target doesn't believe in divorce.

Jamison Lark always felt called to be a priest, until family obligation drove him west to Washington. He uses his unique Gift as a physician to help the people of Larksong, but his contributions never feel like enough. He can't shake guilt over his failures, especially the death of his friend Oliver on the trail. When Oliver's widow professes unexpected affections for him, Jamison's own feelings for her are overshadowed by his doubts. For the first time, he faces a test of faith he's not sure he has the strength to pass.

When word arrives of war being waged between the native tribes and the United States Government in nearby Seattle, Coraline and Jamison face challenges which threaten to tear them apart for good. Could this be the end of everything they love, or are their fractured lives more extraordinary than they ever imagined?