From a distance the Kansas Flint Hills appear as an immense and barren landscape, a place quickly crossed and easily forgotten. But against this seemingly monotonous tableau unfolds the powerful story of an encounter between a young woman bound by ghosts of a tragic past and a man of extraordinary genius - an encounter that will change forever the landscape of their lives.
Sarah Bryden spends her nights secluded in the upstairs room, capturing with brush and ink the subtle beauty of prairie wildflowers. Sarah is a loner, but beneath her quiet manner lies a fiercely independent spirit and a wildness tempered by time.
When John Wilde, a research physicist on leave of absence, settles in the area with his wife and newly adopted son, he hopes the simple life and wide-open spaces will ease them into their new roles as parents. But when Sarah is drawn into their world and takes on the task of caring for their difficult and frail child, John finds himself captivated by her warmth and grace and intuitive spirit . . .
