In the aftermath of the Civil War, Annabel Rawlins, a Louisiana belle, agrees to marry Travis Kinlaw, a Texas rancher, in order to become the mistress of her own home. She is unprepared for the loneliness of frontier life, or for her husband being on cattle drives for six months of each year, or for the threat of Indian raids. In addition, she must deal with an invalid mother-in-law, a rebellious step-daughter, and a husband who seems haunted by the memory of his first wife. Despite all this, Annabel succeeds in making the ranch a comfortable home. Then tragedy strikes. She loses the will to keep struggling and longs to return to Louisiana. Travis has to decide what matters most in his life. Can he make peace with his past in order to have a future with his wife?