The West has always been known as a place of starting over and Arizona Territory in the early 1870's was no different. Growing up caring for an ill mother and two young sisters, Cherry Brown does her best to keep her family together. When her mother dies and her stepfather is murdered, she and her sisters are left to the care of her uncle and stepbrother. Life on the ranch becomes unbearable and though she can't read or write and has few skills, she decides to start over in Tucson, forty miles north. Taking a chance on being discovered by the Apache is worth the risk. But when black smoke billows from Big Rock Canyon, she knows she must go back. Once she gets to Tucson, saloon owner Belle Forest gives her a job and a place to stay and gamblers Temple Hardy and Keg Williams befriend the girl. When she saves the life of Lieutenant John Harlan in a flash flood, the desire for a husband and family comes to the fore. Will it be the Army officer or someone else who holds for her the Hope of Heaven?