Emma Madding walks up to the door of a remote waterfront cliff house in upstate New York, and into the life of recluse Benjamin Stark. A typewriter girl, she is hired to transcribe his weathered journal and the memories his scarred hand can no longer write down. Stark is a rugged adventurer now back from the Klondike Gold Rush, where he found gold and tragedy, too. With the public hungry for gold rush stories and guidebooks, he agrees to chronicle his adventures. But for Emma and Benjamin, working together draws emotions that neither can allow. Benjamin tries not to love Emma, for the truth of his past will drive her away. Emma longs for love, but she has her own secret. Love conquers, but cannot protect. Forced apart, the two lovers must battle a world fueled by money and power.