Meg Strong decides to agree to her father's extraordinary bargain to travel to Iowa and marry an old school friend to pay off his debt, deciding that anything would be better than moving with him to her brother's farm, where she'd be used and abused by her family.

However, she soon discovers Iowa has its own problems. Luckily, most of the people of Manchester are good people — people who want to help someone left virtually stranded in a strange place. She also learns that no matter how many good people are around, there are evil ones too. And when she suspects the worst of someone from her past, she places her new friends, as well as herself, in danger.

Will she be able to protect the innocent, while obtaining justice for the guilty?