The dream of their own farmstead and a good life in America had brought Roald and Ingeborg Bjorklund across the Atlantic to pioneer the virgin prairie of Dakota Territory. But Roald's tragic disappearance in a winter storm had turned Ingeborg's dreams into a living nightmare. Against nearly impossible circumstances and overwhelming grief, she struggles to keep the farm and her family together.

The people of the Dakota Territory suffer from back-breaking work and heart-breaking trials while opening their homesteads and developing a sense of community.

Ever so slowly Dakota Territory is being transformed from a vast prairie into rich farmland. But for Ingeborg and Haakan, realizing their dreams will not come without a struggle.

Mary Martha travels to the town of Blessing in the Dakota Territory to visit her brother and his family, and her growing love for the community--especially Pastor John Solberg, has her entertaining thoughts of staying on, but she is called back to Missouri to care for her ailing mother, leaving her to hope that good-bye does not mean forever.