Miriam Forgeron escapes an Indian raid that killed her parents, hides in a root cellar, a coffin, and then a livestock car to get to Rattlesnake Ridge, Nevada. When she hands Solomon a letter of introduction that she wrote and declares she has no travel expenses but could use a bath and some clean clothes, he is bewildered by her. So is the mail-order bride at his side who stepped off the first-class car from the same train.Now it's a matter of proving who has what it takes to be this man's helpmeet. When Miriam shows him her abilities at the forge, he is no longer laughing. But will she win his heart? The other bride is beautiful, well-groomed, and socially refined. Miriam was raised as a missionary in an Indian Village in Oklahoma. How can she compete?