In 1918, sixteen-year-old Hattie receives a letter from her mother’s brother inviting her to take up his Montana land claim. By his own account, he has lived the life of a scoundrel, and that is why he didn’t ask for her sooner. But, the doctors have told him that he will not live long enough to see his claim proven. He wants Hattie to inherit the claim and all that he has in the hopes that she can finish the work that he has started and earn herself a future free of family charity. Hattie barely blinks before she writes to accept.