George covers his fear of loss by trying to be as much of a man as he can.

As a boy, he lost his mother and feels like it's his fault. He doesn't want to find a wife, she would be just another woman for him to lose. When he seeks the attention of the new poetry teacher, it's only to have a good story to tell the other hands. Unfortunately, every time he gets near her, he can't think of anything but poetry.

Phoebe Root believes if she doesn't spread a love of poetry, the art will die.

When a cowboy casually enters her class and shocks her with his reaction to her poetry, she can't give up on him.

An illness settles over Belle Fourche, as dangerous as the one that took George's mother. Will he let her go to avoid another loss, or hold tight and claim his first love?