Lillian Hartwick is in Wellington, Washington, caring for her cousin and assisting the postmaster when February snows bring all train traffic to a halt. Slow-witted but kind Griffin Jones, who works odd jobs while enduring taunts from rail workers, tries to gain Lillian's interest, but she is awaiting her fiancé's arrival from California. Predawn thunderstorms on Tuesday, March 1, 1910, trigger a devastating avalanche, sweeping two trains down Stevens Pass. Lillian and Griffin work together to help survivors, including Griffin's tormentors, and their feelings for each other grow. But is it enough when Lillian's fiancé finally arrives in the spring, ready to claim her as his own?