Life on a remote homestead is built around the rhythm of seasons and the knowledge that each crop will need to be harvested, replanted, and then harvested again. Animals are born and then die either of natural causes or to furnish food for their owners. Each year the process begins again, a cycle of life and death.

As settlers on the prairie, the Whitings are intimately familiar with this cycle. However, after the sudden loss of their matriarch, the family becomes mired in their grief, longing for the release of a new beginning. Jacob Whiting takes the first step in securing a fresh start by placing the advertisement for a wife—a bold move, given that he is asking a stranger to start a new life with him in an unfamiliar place. Risking further heartache, Jacob acts in faith that finding a wife and a mother for his children will help his grieving family heal and move forward. After Jacob becomes acquainted with Sarah Wheaton and sees how well she fits into their family, he gives her a symbolic gift to signify his desire to start again with her as his wife: “And then Papa came, just before the rain, bringing Sarah the first roses of summer” (43).