Grief-stricken Mollie Andersen is returning to her California roots following the tragic deaths of her husband and daughter, Amy. At an isolated rest stop, she experiences a mysterious blackout, awakening alone and frightened. Mollie stumbles across what she thinks is a reenactment group, and refuses to believe their claim to be a wagon company following the 1847 California Trail. Even as they offer her protection from the harsh Nevada desert, the emigrants are suspicious of her. With the help of rugged widower Ford Hunter, Mollie reluctantly accepts she is no longer in her own time. Mollie cries for Amy. Ford, facing his own challenges on the trail, comforts Mollie, creating a moment of intimacy that propels them into a marriage neither wants.