Craving peace and solitude, Mercy Whitney flees New York City after her friend was caught bootlegging and died in an accident. Her dreams are shattered when she finds her family and neighbors being displaced by a power company. She's certain the surveyor for the project knows she was involved in a crime. Did he follow her to Missouri?

Dan Kelsey has two goals in life: find the beautiful woman he saw in the city and dodge the law. His new job lands him in a remote area where his contempt for the poor, backwoods people of the Ozarks soon turns to respect when he realizes they have something he'll never attain—peace. They open their hearts and homes, knowing he's helping destroy their lives.