But stuffy, disapproving Baileyville, Kentucky, where her husband favours work over his wife and is dominated by his overbearing father, is not the adventure — or the escape — that she hoped for.
That is, until she meets Margery O'Hare, a troublesome woman — and daughter of a notorious felon — the town wishes to forget.
Margery's on a mission to spread the wonder of books and reading to the poor and lost — and she needs Alice's help.
Trekking alone under big open skies, through wild mountain forests, Alice, Margery and their fellow sisters of the trail discover freedom, friendship — and a life to call their own.
But when the town turns against them, will their belief in one another — and the power of the written word — be enough to save them?