Mary Hagen
The Civil War left most of the wealthy south destitute including Phoebe Marshall and her family. Now living alone in the mining camp of Gold Dust, Colorado after the death of her father over his mining claim, she is struggling to survive. A mining camp is no place for a woman, but she is no longer an affluent lady. That life is in the past. She works as a laundress and saves every penny she can to get out of Gold Dust and start a different life. Progress is slow and she despairs, leading her to a rash decision.
With an English Earl as a father, James Thompson is accustomed to demands with one exception. He will not marry the neighbor's daughter whose company he cannot abide. The marriage was arranged by their families when they were children. If James doesn't find a way out, he'll have to go through with it within the coming year. In his job as a remittance man in Gold Dust, he meets Phoebe, one of the few women available in the area. He takes a risk and asks her to marry him with the understanding the marriage will not be real and will end when he is free of his other commitment. In return, he promises to pay Phoebe a thousand dollars, and he can marry a woman he loves.
It offers Phoebe a way out of Gold Dust. She doesn't know him but decides to take a chance thinking she has nothing to lose.
Few things work out as planned. Will Phoebe and James find life and love can differ from intentions?