After her parents are killed, eighteen-year-old Bessie is sold by her ruthless uncle to a saloon owner.Tricked into believing she is there to sing, she is horrified to learn it is not her voice she is selling, but her body. As a soiled dove she is so desperate to escape, she risks fleeing with Thomas, one of her clients.Is he as kind as he seems? Does he love her like he says, or has she jumped from one dire situation into another?