It's 1907 on Minnesota's "Iron Range" and the death of 13-year-old Anna Kallio's mother means that the girl must leave school in order to keep house for her father and younger brother. The family's hardships multiply with a miners' strike and the fear that Anna's father, a blacksmith, won't be able to find work. Frustrated by a life of grown-up concerns, Anna and her brother conspire to find a wife for their father so that Anna can return to school - even if that means attempting a match with a mail-order bride from Finland But the results of their efforts are different from anything they expected, and when Anna's father begins showing interest in her teacher, the girl finds herself torn by the realization that another woman may try to fill her mother's place. Vivid descriptions of family holidays and customs capture the Kallios' colorful Finnish heritage in this inspiring story of one girl's attempts to balance her dreams with her responsibilities.