Cottonwood Falls, Kansas is a growing town in 1873, a wonderful place for a young woman to achieve her goal of becoming a teacher. Nina Liston is only a month away from getting her certificate when her father informs her that she must drop out of school and take a job as cook for the masons building the Chase County Courthouse. A handsome craftsman from Sweden describes breathtaking vistas and castles in foreign lands. It's nothing like the barren, windswept Flint Hills. Nina's dreams falter as she's tempted by the man with dreams to build castles as tall as the sky.

Ethan Winford is as solid as the rocks dug from nearby quarries. He's a blacksmith by trade, and a pastor to the congregation of his little church. Nina intrigues him when she questions his sermon's message. He encourages her to be obedient to her father then regrets his advice. His efforts to ease her burdens only seem to drive her farther away from him—and into the clutches of the mason. His faith in God is shaken when he tries to deliver sermons. They all seem to be directed at Nina. Will his efforts to win Nina drive her away? Will she choose to build on Christ's solid foundation or choose castles in the sky?