Christine Lockhart dreams of forging her own path in the world of 1880, taking charge of her decisions and eventually finding a man of her choosing. Michael Karg, the son of a butcher, has simple ambitions and rose-colored optimism about courting Christine. Christine sees Michael as the wholesome young man that he is and Michael sees Christine as the almost unattainable dream. The cloud on the horizon for both Christine and Michael is her money-hungry father. The doctor is irrationally driven to building wealth in a bourgeoning gas well era and is willing to sell his daughter's freedom. The ruthless Doctor Cedric Lockhart advocates for a young man Christine detests, feeding the young man's obsession for Christine, and creating a bitter enemy for Michael. Christine must find courage to face her father's discrimination of women and must strategize clandestinely to take control of her life. Michael must not lose faith in Christine, even in the face of threats against him and his father by the well-connected doctor. Other than fighting Doctor Cedric Lockhart and the possessed suitor, Christine wages a battle against the passage of time as complications evolve.