Kate McNaughton’s life should be a ball. She has the support of a loving family, a good job as clerk at the mining company her father and brothers work for, and the interest of handsome new miner Patrick. But her job is in jeopardy if she can’t control her hateful boss, Jakub Kamenski, and trouble at the mine leads to a tragic accident and threatens to tear apart her family. Worse, Patrick may be the cause of the trouble. . .
Emily Carter’s life should be made in the shade. Newlywed to the superintendent of the mine, she has a life of plenty and prestige. But she can’t break the barrier between management and labor to make a single friend, and even her husband is pulling away from her. Now, she’s keeping secrets from him. . .
As if these two women in Farrowlee, West Virginia don’t have enough to worry about at home, war breaks out in Korea, affecting their families in unimaginable ways. How will they navigate the strife at home and abroad? Can there be peace amid the many struggles?