National Network for Equitable Library Service

Rachel Van Buren tries to escape the gold-rush quagmire of 1849 San Francisco with her high moral principles intact. Rachel is shocked with this mud-infested boomtown where the only females are of ill repute. When saloon owner Johnnie Parker--widower and former missionary--lets her stay in his unoccupied shanty, she agrees to cook and clean. But Rachel soon struggles with their growing attraction.