Hot days of a western Nebraska summer have caused the water to recede and the corn to grow on the Bowers homestead. Jolie Bowers throws herself into the role of a teacher at a one-room schoolhouse, spending every spare moment with Tanner Wells as they look forward to their wedding.

A torrential September rain brings the sod roof down on top of the Bowers one night, the train tracks are washed out, and there is trouble with the railroad over shipping rates. Both sides in the conflict round up gunmen to enforce their position. Mr. Bowers gets arrested in Lincoln for starting a riot. A handsome widower, Strath Yarrow, suddenly appears, and Jolie hardly has time to sort out her true feelings. Throughout the book, Jolie relies on God's wisdom and guidance as she struggles to understand homestead politics and her own feelings for Tanner.