Ellie MacCready's family was forced to sell their farm in the Nebraska Sand Hills when she was a teenager. Now, Ellie has returned to the Sand Hills to teach in a one-room school, and she rents a small house on the old family farm, now owned by Zane Redding. Money is tight, though, and Zane may have to sell the farm he's worked hard to develop. Then Ellie proposes a compromise: she will become a partner, investing in the farm she loves to keep it going, and Zane will keep controlling interest. As they work through the seasons together, taheir friendship grows, and they find that they share much more than just the land and a dream.