The Stern family emigrated from Germany, to a small farm community in America, to fulfill the dream of freedom and a new start. The sudden and tragic death of the father forces George, the sixteen year old son, to assume the role as head of household. The story chronicles George's life as he becomes a leading banker, business, and community leader. We are introduced to an ambitious bank officer whose greed, vanity, and jealousy control and corrupt him to the point of committing murders. When he is found dead, George's daughter is charged and convicted of the death based on strong, but circumstantial evidence. She is eventually found innocent based a strange twist of fate. We also see how a woman, bent on revenge, can entrap a man though action, words, and sex only to discover, to late, that true love can overcome her evil and deceptive ways. In the end, despite his many heartbreaks and setbacks, George accepts his successes and failure. He finds peace within himself and those he loves.