Sixteen Civil War widows living in St. Louis respond to a series of meetings conducted by a land speculator who lures them west by promising "prime homesteads" in a "booming community." Unbeknownst to them, the speculator's true motive is to find an excuse to bring women to the fledging community of Plum Grove, Nebraska, in hopes they will accept marriage proposals shortly after their arrival! Sparks fly when these unsuspecting widows meet the men...

Abandoned at a New York orphanage and left in charge of her crippled younger brother, Sarah Biddle finally finds a family when an orphan train takes them to Lincoln, Nebraska. To help deal with her feelings of disappointment, loss, and fear, Sarah uses her quilting skills to "stitch the tears of the past into a treasure for tomorrow."--Page 4 of cover.