Bower first takes us to the Idaho countryside, along the Wolverine River, where a pioneer couple decides to settle. Years later, another family moves in a little further downriver, and the main character enters the picture. We meet a little girl born on a lonely settlement in The Ranch at the Wolverine, her only friend, the grumpy old lady who lives nearby with her feckless husband. Billy Louise grows up and eventually leaves for better education. When she returns home after her father's death, she must take over the reins of their small ranch.