As young Anna reels from her mother's sudden death, her father, the Reverend Hiram, sees his youngest daughter as his convenient household drudge with selfish disregard for her promising future. The only help from her nine older siblings comes from Helene, her glamorous older sister who has her own plans to utilize Anna for her own misguided needs, leaving her vulnerable to Mick, with whom Helene finds relief from the boredom of her marriage.

Love finds Anna as she peers into hazel eyes that melt through her fear of men. Starting a new life in a different state, however, means leaving the child she didn't want but cannot bear to lose. Those eyes mask truths she fails to learn during their hurried courtship and aborted marriage.

Stripped of mother, child, husband, and innocence, Anna grasps at lifelines that will give her a second chance at the happiness and love she deserves.