Unable to come to terms with a family tragedy in Virginia, Caleb drifts westward, seeking anonymity or death. He fears nothing since he has already lost everything he held dear. He learns to fight and kill and is untouched by the result. For Caleb, there is no retribution, no penalty, no tomorrow, only today. He avoids any binding human contact, owing nothing to others, expecting nothing from others except to be left alone.

He begins gold dredging in the Stanley Basin in central Idaho. He has no interest in success, only occupation. Then his life takes a dramatic change. He rescues Mei Lin, a young Chinese prostitute, from a brothel and promises to find a place for her. He knows he is an emotional wreck and cannot care for her. She has other ideas. She has found her place with Caleb.

Each scarred by personal tragedy, Caleb and Mei Lin live and work together, but they are not intimate. They fight forest fire and flood and attacks by a local dredge operator who will not tolerate competition. Caleb protects Mei Lin from locals and the federal government that wants to remove Chinese from Idaho by violence and law.

Caleb finds new purpose in his life. He begins to hope and to care, and Mei Lin is at the center of the change. But does he dare tell her of his love and invite her into his uncertain life?