Abigail Hastings, Lora Fitzgerald, and David Houston are orphans, two now in their late teens, having been taken as children to the Dearling Ranch, in Eastern Oregon, in different seasons, by attorney Mason Kile.

When one of the kitchen help, a local farm girl, disappears, and the foreman watches Abby and Lora with hooded, menacing eyes, Abby decides she must take Lora and flee from the valley. They persuade David, the blacksmith's apprentice, to help them escape; his dream is to go to Montana, where his parents are buried, and build a home for himself. In 1880, in the midst of a cold spring rain and under the cover of darkness, the trio run from the ranch, fleeing the evil of Dearling Valley in search of better lives.

David slowly came to understand the very real danger that the valley held and was persuaded to take the two kitchen helpers to safety first - Montana would have to wait. The three would run hard, and maybe, with God's help, gain true freedom. Could long buried secrets catch and hold them captive or is there a way to win new lives?