Bella Ford is a young woman who sets forth in winter on an arduous journey to locate Archie Wilson, the lover who has abandoned her. Suffering a grave personal misfortune along the way, Bella finds shelter in the home of the Wainwright family whose three sons, Jedd, Matty and Con, eventually battle among each other for the affections of their enchanting and mysterious guest. After much courtship Bella agrees to marry the youngest son, Con. But tragedy strikes again when the man for whom she has been searching reappears, thus triggering an unforgettable series of events which forever change the lives of Bella, Arch and the Wainwrights.