Alison Leigh had some problems in England, so decided to emigrate to Canada. She'd lined up a job in Winnipeg. But when she got there, she found the company had gone out of business. She decided to head a bit further west to see if she could stay with a woman with whom she had been friendly back in England. It wasn't completely clear the woman would be glad to see her: Alison's mother and the woman had had some "issues" back in the day.

At the nearest train station to where her friend, Florence Hunter, lived, she asked how to get out that way. There was no particular public transportation, but an itinerant peddler, Maverick Thorne (aka Leslie), would be going that way in a day or so. Alison hunted up Mav Thorne and they soon set out together. It turned out that Mav was a bit of a character, but basically nice and he didn't try to make any improper moves on Alison.

They had to stop along the way at the Farquhar household. Mrs. Farquhar told Alison that she would be welcome to live (and work a bit) with them if things didn't work out at the Hunters'. That turned out to be the case. Florence Hunter was an entitled princess type, unfit for pretty much anything save vapid social interactions. She spent a good part of her life away from her husband, spending his hard earned money in the cities.

So, Alison lives with the Farquhar's. Mav drifts in and out, and eventually decided to give up itinerant peddling and become a proper farmer. He does this because he's decided to hook up with Alison if she'll have him. It takes quite some time for him to get straightened out. Along the way, we have a devious character, Nevis, trying to defraud the locals out of their farms and money. Mav helps foil the scoundrel and, eventually, the good guys live happily ever after.

I rather liked this book, and will continue reading more by Bindloss in the future.
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