Heidi Nolan lives with her mother and her latest 'uncle' John in a rundown trailer next to a stream which overflows after a storm. She hates being poor and does not want to end up like her mother, working in a tavern, with no husband, and labeled as 'trailer trash'. One night, her mother disappears after work; folks saw her getting into a Mercedes after her shift, but Heidi thinks John murdered her.

History seems to repeat itself as Heidi begins to work in the tavern until she gives birth to a baby girl. The town hosts monthly auctions of cattle and horses, which attract ranch owners from the surrounding area. It is at one of these auctions that Heidi meets Darryl Hanson, a prosperous ranch owner who falls in love with her and offers her a perfect life on his ranch and a beautiful mansion.