In Hoyt City, a statue of founder Ethan Hoyt is dedicated, and 100-year-old Hannah Sempler Hoyt (who lives in the last residence among skyscrapers) is finally persuaded to tell her story to a 'girl biographer.' In 1848, Hannah, a teen, meets and flirts with pioneer Ethan; they elope on a whim. We follow their struggle to establish a city in the wilderness, which is hampered by the Gold Rush, star-crossed love, peril, and heartbreak. The star "ages" by 80 years.