Maribelle Saunders leaves her comfortable life in Nashville for a rough existence in 1960s Appalachia. Her dream is to teach deaf children American Sign Language (ASL) as well as how to read and write, helping them communicate with their families and prepare for school.

She doesn't expect to fall head over heels for Sam, the kind mechanic, or that Jeremy, the town preacher, will become obsessed with her. As she fights to find her place in the small mountain community, she faces the challenges of being a new teacher, the townspeople's skepticism, and the deadly fallout from an unrequited love.

Will she survive?