When she sets out on a road trip with the man she loves, Teddy O'Brien does not expect to end up stranded in a small South Dakota town. Without any warning, Teddy finds herself alone and penniless. To make matters worse, the townspeople are rude, intrusive and hostile to strangers. They harass Teddy as she struggles to emerge from depression and find a way to make ends meet. As the newcomer, she is blamed for a mysterious break-in, an arson fire, even a broken marriage. In a series of encounters with idiosyncratic residents, some intimidating and others comical, Teddy soon learns that her wit and sense of humor are her best coping skills. Then Teddy starts getting death threats. An emergency meeting is held, the outcome of which catapults the town into a notoriety it is not prepared to handle and which, almost miraculously, changes Teddy's world in ways she could never have imagined.