The dirt-poor Carmichaels and the well-heeled Hawkes who live in turn-of-the-century Promise, a prairie town not always true to its name. Longing for a better life, Ceilidh Carmichael takes a job in John Hawke's home against her father's wishes. There, she falls in love with Finn, the virtuous son Hawke despises. Determined to quash the romance, the family succeeds in separating the young lovers.
