Samantha Greyson, a good old girl from Louisiana, is a geology major at the University of Texas. Hard-working, poor, and eager to get out into the world, she has a secret. The small community of lesbians at the university is eager to discover everything about this elusive and attractive young woman.

At every possible opportunity, Sam is on a bus heading west into the desert to search for the elusive grains of gold that would make any rock hunter's heart go pitter-pat. With her horse and donkey and even later with her Jeep, Sam risks death in the hot southwestern deserts, searching for more than just the grains and flakes of gold that will change her life. Sometimes, a girl finds more than she ever intended.