The time is the mid-1880s when much of Florida is a virtual wilderness. Addie ekes out a living from her canteen at the convergence of two primitive railroads. When Addie meets Burke, the owner-operator of the railroad that links the seaside docks, an attraction blossoms. But social persecution forces Addie to flee into the subtropical wilderness. Burke launches a search for her, not knowing that she has become a pawn in a plot to usurp him of his empire.