Mally Buchanan always said she would marry The Handsomest Man in the Country. Almost eighteen, the war over and her family gone, Mally heads west to find her uncle and aunt. They are headed to Oregon on a wagon train, so Mally goes with them. Tragic events leave her all alone in the world, and the wagon master tells the beautiful teen-ager to marry one of the eligible men or leave the wagon train. Uncertain, she leaves her choice up to the western scout, Web, who advises her to marry Trey Trahern. She doesn't even see him well until after they make their vows, and discovers that her mules look better than he does. How does Mally cope with this marriage when she runs into the handsome man who used to be her neighbor?
