Cora's life shatters, and she desperately needs to get away from Chicago, where ridicule and shame follow her. When her sister encourages her to go west to Colorado and meet a man she had been corresponding with, Cora agrees. Widower Hugh awaits Amy's arrival, after proposing a marriage of convenience to her, as he knows his infant daughter needs a mother. But when Amy is nowhere to be seen, he is faced with a shocking revelation, and a switched bride.

Nora fears she will never have the family she longs for due to the scar she carries from a childhood accident. Known as the plain Kelly sister, she longs to run away to where no one knows her and have a fresh start. Utah rancher Clay needs someone to tend house and cook for him and the ranch hands. Love has no place in his life, and he proposes to a young woman he has been corresponding with, making it clear the marriage is in name only.

Widow Lucy, her young son, and unborn child are forced from their home due to unpaid debts. Needing a fresh start quickly, she begins corresponding with a doctor in Colorado. Jed is seeking someone to tend to his home and proposes to Lucy, excited to have an instant family. But as Lucy travels to Colorado, fear and doubt overtake her. While Jed seemed like a nice and kind man through his letters, she fears that he may not be that way in person.

Anna longs for adventure away from her life in Chicago. When she sees an ad from Evan, an officer in the Army, she takes a chance and sends him a letter. Evan longs for a wife and family of his own. Stationed in South Dakota, he hopes to find someone who can adapt to life in the West. Anna seems the perfect woman for him.

As Christmas nears, Louisa travels to South Dakota to meet the man she will marry: widowed rancher Matthew. With no family of her own, she looks forward to becoming a wife and mother to Matthew's two young daughters. But Louisa's journey does not go as planned. While the girls are happy to see her and are happy their Christmas wish to have a mother comes true, Matthew doesn't want anything to do with her. Forced with facing lies and deceit, Louisa's happy Christmas suddenly turns dire.

Adelle longs to escape a hard life in Philadelphia, dreaming of an easier life with a family of her own. Floyd seems like a kind-hearted man, and she eagerly accepts his proposal a few weeks before Christmas. But once she steps on the train to head west, Adelle's life begins to unravel, and she realizes too late that she has made a terrible mistake. With no money to return to Philadelphia, she's at the mercy of strangers in a new town; strangers who are only too willing to take advantage of her.

Mary leaves Chicago to escape an arranged marriage to a cruel man whose previous two wives had died under mysterious circumstances. Fearing for her own life, she travels to Colorado to become the bride of Mason, the mercantile store owner.

When tragedy befalls Abby and her sister Belle, they are forced to leave Boston in order to survive. Belle travels to Colorado while Abby travels to Arizona to marry widower Clark, the town’s sheriff.

Amber is alone in New York and struggling to get by when she's forced to vacate her home. With nowhere to go and desperation setting in, she decides to accept a marriage proposal from Jack, a rancher in Montana.

Hanna is jilted at the altar by a man she thought loved her. She leaves Philadelphia to escape the disgrace and humiliation that fill her soul. Ashamed and alone, she heads west to meet Frank, hiding a secret she plans not to reveal. Texas Ranger, Frank, longs to settle down but his job keeps him away from home. Although he yearns for a family, he wants someone to take care of his house. Hanna seems the perfect choice. He refuses to give his heart away and plans to keep his distance from his new wife.

With both parents working all hours and four younger brothers at home, the care and keeping of the household is squarely on her shoulders. When her father forces her to find a job in addition to everything else, it proves to be too much. Desperate for a way out, Mandy agrees to become a mail-order bride and marry a man she’s never met—a ranch hand named Matthew Bostwick, in Mine’s Place, Colorado. But traveling from Boston to Colorado is just the beginning of Mandy’s journey. 

Tinsmith Jonah has always longed for a wife and family, but his hopes died in war. He knows no woman wants a crippled man. He has taken in two young orphans and is raising them on his own. Anne has lived a hard life since her parents died, being taken in by her aunt and uncle who treat her like an unpaid servant. When she sees the ad from Jonah, she sees light in her life again and is happy to accept his proposal. But the children want nothing to do with Anne.

Edward Ahlborn is a prodigal son. After almost a decade away from home, he returns to the family ranch in Culver’s Creek, Montana to visit his parents, sisters, and his twin brother Will. Ten years will change any man, and he wonders what his family will think of him, now that he’s been away.

Amy yearns for a life away from Chicago where she tends to her younger siblings all day. Carl, a rancher in Colorado, seems the answer to her prayers, and she does not hesitate when he proposes marriage.

Sadie travels to Montana to meet the man she is to marry, wanting to escape a lonely and destitute life in New York. Mack assures Sadie he will provide a good life for her—a life that is all lies. Sadie is shocked to hear horrible news when she arrives in Montana, and her world comes crashing down. Rancher Brett has put down roots and hopes to find a wife that will give him heirs to his ranch. Love has no place in his heart; to Brett, marriage is only a business arrangement. A desperate Sadie seems the perfect choice for Brett, who harbors a secret he doesn't wish to share.