Maria Owens, the flirtatious eldest daughter of a prominent Independence family, eloped with a handsome young lawyer. When her father, Samuel C. Owens, learned of the marriage, he forced the 14 year old Maria to accompany him to New York City, where she was placed in a school for girls. She escaped from the school and returned to Independence by steamboat, to be with her husband, John. He joined the army, just before President Polk declared war on Mexico. Maria was lonely in her husband's absence and sought comfort in the arms of a young man she had met aboard the steamboat. John returned from boot camp to find his marriage in jeopardy.