A love story set against the backdrop of religious intolerance of 19th century America. Recently moved to upstate New York from the comfort of their Vermont homestead, the Benjamin Steed family makes their way into the established social structure of Palmyra. In their attempt to settle peacefully into the new community, they find that the help they have hired to clear their land is at the center of a religious controversy threatening to tear the family apart. As two of the Steed brothers contend for the favor of a wealthy merchant's daughter, their family battles over deeper issues of spiritual truth, religious tolerance and family loyalty.