Martha and Jed Richards live in 1862 Oregon. They and their two daughters had moved there to make a new life, but the daughters died of cholera along the way. This has left Martha an emotional wreck, and she is unable to move on with her life--until an orphan named Danny comes to live with them. Jed immediately accepts Danny as his son, but Martha is still too upset to be able to love him. As time passes, however, she finds herself more and more able to accept him as part of the family.