Furious with her in-laws' demands to marry her deceased husband's brother, Sadie Pepperman heads for the Trinity River with a friend to escape the pressure of their unsolicited advice.
Seeking an adventure, Callum Murphy and his friend, Marcus Goodman, are heading to the Gulf of Mexico to join the confederate army. Their quiet camp is interrupted by a lady's scream. Spotting a woman in the swiftly moving water, Marcus jumps to the rescue, followed almost immediately by the rumble of wagon wheels along the dirt path, accompanied by a beautiful lady calling for help.
Attempting to save her friend, Sadie meets Callum and joins forces. Only to discover their friends are being hauled onto a steamship. Eager to get away from temptation, she turns to leave and twists her ankle. The agonizing pain leaves her with the inability to walk. To avoid asking her in-laws for help, she offers Callum a place to stay if he'll help with her farm's chores.
Enamored with the lady, he discovers she has a few issues; crops to bring in from the fields, a sex starved brother-in-law, and a body which inflames his desire. One problem, however, worries him. Can he convince her to forget the other rascals in her life and give him a chance?