In the heart of the nineteenth century, a daring opportunity arose for six women yearning for new beginnings out West. A marriage broker on the Eastern seaboard displayed a tantalizing poster, advertising a contest where the victor would have the privilege of having their entire traveling costs paid. This would be used as good advertising for the broker, plus the other West Coast broker at the end of the race. The poster read:

"Win a Chance at Love! Seeking Brides for Brave Settlers Out West. Contest to Win Free Travel and a Head Start on Happily Ever After." The poster featured a picturesque scene of rolling hills, wildflowers in full bloom, and a handsome cowboy tipping his hat. It was enough to make even the most skeptical of women dream of a life beyond their wildest imagination.

Clara Bennett was a spirited young woman whose pioneering spirit burned brighter than the gas lamps illuminating the cobblestone streets of her coastal town. Orphaned at a tender age, she had spent her formative years toiling as a seamstress, dreaming of the day she could escape the confines of her humble existence and forge her own destiny in the rugged, untamed lands beckoning from the horizon.

She had grown tired of the mundane life in the bustling city and yearned for adventure, even if it meant marrying a stranger and traveling to the unknown lands of the West.