Cellist Emily Lopez, almost seventeen, feels like a discordant piece of music, full of mismatched notes that make her cringe. First her boyfriend breaks up with her then her dad, a famous symphony conductor, cancels their summer together touring Europe. To top it off, she's forced to go with her mom and stepdad to a dusty, old cattle ranch in Montana. How will she master an incredibly difficult Saint-Saëns concerto without her dad or cello teacher? She only has seven weeks to prepare for the competition that will determine her future. To a San Francisco girl, Montana feels like the end of the earth. But she soon discovers it is full of surprises after meeting Breck, the summer ranch hand.
Sarah is moving west with her family. Having just turned eighteen, she was perfectly content to stay in the town where she grew up, however, she has no choice but to go along. She's heard horror stories about the man leading the wagon train west and does her best to stay out of his way and not call attention to herself. If only trouble wasn't so easy to get into. It was as if it followed her around and tripped her up every chance it got. She's certain she won't survive the trip west. Either the wagon master is going to kill her, or her bad luck will.