In May 1905, Lily Johnston impulsively leaves her pampered city life behind to travel to the nascent town of Las Vegas, Nevada. After her husband's death, crippling panic attacks have plagued her. Belief that reuniting with her daughter, Andy, will make them stop motivates her to board a train and head into the desert. Once there, the austere conditions and harsh climate of the tent town convince her that she must take her pregnant daughter home in order to save her life. When Andy refuses to leave, Lily decides the only way to keep her safe is by living there temporarily. Life in the raucous Wild West town is appalling and dangerous with frequent gunfights and prostitutes parading in the streets. Refined and proper, Lily struggles to retain the principles that define her and make her feel secure. But the place and a friendship with a gambler, reputed to be a gunfighter, challenge her beliefs about everything, including herself .