Robert Mitchum, Loretta Young and William Holden star! This Western features three classic actors, a romantic triangle, and one very strong woman.

The Ohio frontier is no place for widower David Harvey (William Holden) to raise his young son, Davey, alone. He needs a woman to help bring up Davey, keep up their homestead, cook, clean and generally keep the place running. So, David goes to a local settlement and purchases the contract to secure an indentured servant named Rachel (Loretta Young) for $18. David and Rachel must be married for the sake of propriety, so they are quickly wed and set out for their cabin in the wilderness.

Once they arrive, it doesn’t take long for their new family to fall apart. Young Davey rejects Rachel and David remains estranged from his new wife, making it clear this arrangement is merely a marriage of convenience. Father and son are still mourning the loss of their wife and mother, Susan, and they cannot seem to find it in their hearts to treat Rachel as anything more than a servant.

Although saddened by this turn of events, Rachel works hard and is steadfast and gentle with Davey. She follows all of David’s orders and tries desperately to win the pair over, but nothing seems to work. Told more than once that her survival skills are lacking, Rachel practices shooting in the cabin cellar every chance she gets. She’s hoping to keep Davey safe and earn David’s love and respect.

One day amid this turmoil, family friend Jim Fairways (Robert Mitchum) comes to the cabin for a visit. He had once been a suitor to David’s first wife, and now he shows an immediate interest in Rachel. Under Jim’s flirtatious gaze and charming manners, Rachel begins to blossom. Jim sings while Rachel plays on Susan’s spinet, and they laugh merrily…all while David burns with jealousy.

Of course, David knows his son resents Rachel, and he isn’t so sure he’s ready to love again. But if that’s true, why does he feel like Jim is trying to steal his girl?

And if Jim continues to pursue Rachel, will it be too late for this “marriage in name only” to become the marriage David’s been hoping for?