The story follows five generations of strong and brave women as they raise their children, provide help and encouragement to their husbands, cope with primitive surroundings, and triumph over their struggles. The tale begins when Maggie, an indentured servant in New Jersey in 1789 overcomes her obstacles when she meets and marries Asher Corlis. The Corlis family leave New Jersey for the new frontier of Upper Canada (now Ontario). Maggie and her family work hard to endure and conquer hardships in this new, uncharted land.

Maggie's descendants continue in the same manner as their matriarch, learning how to live off the land and work together making friends with their neighbors. In time, the family returns to the United States, moving to the new state of Michigan. The family moves about the state, following the lumber industry, until they settle in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and finally, in the small town of Big Bay in the early twentieth century.

Dreamers and realists, optimists, survivors, and entrepreneurs, these women learn to be the mainstays of their families and inspire future generations.