Lilly Moore lives in a small town that is the first link of a railroad line that connects the Wild West to Chicago, and on to the Atlantic Ocean. She is learning, in the heart of the Moore clan, the unique responsibilities that they shoulder, both unwillingly and willingly for the good of the Rock Island line that is her family legacy. In finding peace with the settlers of the growing city and within herself, Lilly learns that love defies both color and class, and that families come in many packages.