Nellie Wallace is a young widow with two children. In post-Civil War New York, the men are scarce and none want the burden of a wife with children. Her dead husband's family is wealthy, and cruel. Desperate to escape their influence, and eager for a home, a husband, and a stable life for her children, Nellie decides to make a new life in San Francisco as a mail-order bride.

From the day she was born, Rita Baxter's mother encouraged her to follow her heart. Filled with innocent dreams and faith that her hard work training to be a Prima Ballerina on New York's bright stage will lead to fortune and fame, Rita is crushed when she loses her mother and must take a job dancing in a burlesque chorus line to keep a roof over her head. Witnessing a brutal murder is the last straw. The police promise to keep her safe, but Rita has learned to be a realist.

Five years ago, a band of outlaws murdered Josephine Shafter's parents and younger brother. Desperate for vengeance, Jo has spent every day since serving the law as a bounty hunter. But the trouble with justice served is that now that her family's killer has been brought in, she has nothing to do and no one to hunt. She decides it may be time for a new life and a fresh start. She longs for the arms of a strong man around her, and for a child of her own. But the Chicago dandies don't know how to kiss a woman who is tougher than they are.

Ben Logan fell in love once, to a city girl who left him at the altar to run off with another man. A mail-order bride appears to be the answer to his need for a wife to warm his bed, as long as she loves the country life as he does. He doesn't need much, but he won't risk his heart again. When Emily arrives, her curves tempt him nearly as much as her smile. But his ex-fiancée is back, and determined to have Ben for herself, even if it means murder.

Ed Talbot isn't husband material. He's an outlaw, was forced into his father's gang at the age of 13, and is wanted dead or alive in more than one territory. But now his father is dead, he hates the life, the blood, and his brother's rages. When a stagecoach robbery goes awry, Ed ends up with a satchel full of charming letters from an enticing young miss. Unfortunately for Miss Lizzie Cobb, her betrothed is now dead, and Ed Talbot sees a way out.

On Leila's way to meet her intended as his mail order bride, Dan McCall, a federal agent, finds her lying on the side of the road unconscious. He rescues her and she attaches her heart to him immediately. Dan is not the marrying kind...or is he? Joe, her intended, is not happy to lose yet another mail order bride, and takes drastic measures to insure their marriage. Leila faces a dilemma - risk the man's life who saved hers, or marry a man she despises.

Lydia Walcott is on the run. With a broken arm and a wounded spirit, she is escaping the hands of her cruel brother and the marriage he has arranged. She's running to the unknown, praying God will lead her steps. Seeking shelter from an ice storm in a livery stall, Lydia goes to sleep, hoping that in this small town of Cottonwood she'll find a job, a place to live, and friends.

Pittsburgh, 1900. The mysterious Vanderhorn family hires Nora Bennett as a nurse and companion to her injured, handsome, stepson Alex. Nathan Vanderhorn is drawn to Nora, even though he's betrothed to the socially elite Celeste. Though Nora vies to steer clear of the family problems, a sinister plot pulls her in deeper than she'd ever imagined. Who in this strange household could she trust?

Sam Cooke gave up the notion of finding anyone from Clear Creek to marry. What available women there were, were either too young or too old, and heaven help him if his mother, Belle Cooke, got his matchmaking Aunt Sadie to help find him a bride. No, some things a man had to do on his own. But when he travels east on business to fetch his mail-order bride, little did he know what sort of hi-jinx awaited him on the journey home with her!

Silver River is a little town full of strong men who followed the trail west to Montana hoping to get rich from the Silver Rush that gave this picturesque valley its name. Many of them are lonely, but their pioneering spirit means they make their own luck. As the town begins to expand, its inhabitants are getting restless, looking for love and adventure.

Joanna’s mail-order husband turns out to be the town’s drunk. While trying to escape one trap, she falls into another, but this one might have rewards. When Jared finds a woman injured in one of his traps, he feels guilty and tries to make amends, but due to a secret in his past, he can’t commit to more than friendship with the her. The town’s drunk, Bradley McKenna, refuses to let go of his bride and even stoops to deceitful means to acquire her.

When Kate arrives in Hays, Kansas to teach in a one-room schoolhouse, she learns she will be "boarding around". She is alarmed to learn she'd have to board at the home of Josh Redfield. Could she live in the home of a man thought to have killed his wife? Rumors and gossip plague the town and the results could be dangerous.

Amber Wakefield travels to Hunter's Grove, Kansas to meet her intended and walks into a very unwelcoming atmosphere. Charles Turner, her intended, seems cool and aloof, and his brother Garrett - downright rude. She wants nothing more than to rush back to Virginia, until Edna Smith, her chaperone, falls ill, and she's forced to stay. She knows Charles harbors a secret, and she isn't sure whether Garrett is her hero or her enemy.

Tavern manager Leah Barnett can scarcely believe the path that destiny has chosen for her. Travelling from Boston to Colorado, Leah has come to face Ryder Damien, the son of her mother's recently deceased lover. Ryder, an angry, ruggedly sexy man, is incensed that this woman will inherit his father's fortune-even if he hadn't seen the man in 30 years. But Leah's charms are many, and soon anger is the last thing in Ryder's heart.

1945: Along with hundreds of other war brides, Betty, Madeline, Alice, and June set sail for New York to be with the men they love. In the days they spend at sea, the four young women become firm friends and vow to stay in touch no matter what their new lives bring. Life in a new country comes with many challenges, but Betty, Madeline, Alice, and June didn't move half way across the world to give up without a fight.