North Dakota, 1905. Trygve Knutson is devoted to his family and his community. With his construction job, he's helping to build a future for the town of Blessing. Yet he sometimes dreams of other horizons -- especially since meeting Miriam Hastings. Miriam is in Blessing for practical training to become an accredited nurse. She's been promised a position in Chicago that will enable her to support her siblings and her ailing mother. Miriam is surprised...

Joan Sample is not living the life she expected. Now a widow and an empty-nester, she has become by her own admission something of a recluse. But after another birthday spent alone, she is finally inclined to listen to her sister, who has been begging Joan to reengage with the world. With her support, Joan gathers the courage to take some long-awaited steps: hiring someone to tame her overgrown garden, joining a grief support group, and even renting...