After moving west with her parents while in her teens, Susannah Adler suffered through their deaths, the disappearance of her brother and the loss of the family homestead. Rebuilding her life in the late 1860s, she's now the prosperous owner of the largest hotel and saloon in Creekstone Colorado. But even with her success, self-doubt and regret fill her life. As the colder weather approaches, Susannah's long-time friend Ella is murdered, a crime leaving her young daughter an orphan. At the sheriff's request, she takes the child into her life, all the while knowing her arrival threatens to uncover a secret Susannah would prefer to remain buried in her past. Helping the sheriff find clues to the murder, a wider, bigger threat is uncovered, and new dangers come to light. For reasons she doesn't yet understand, both the child and Susannah have become targets of the killers. Struggling to protect those she loves, her business and her own life, Susannah must place her trust in a weary sheriff, a notorious gunslinger with his own agenda and a local rancher who holds her heart. Together they fight to rid Creekstone of ruthless killers. Along the way, Susannah finds her heart, a cause and if she can stay alive, the future she so desperately desires.