Felicity Pedigrue is headed west on a train to take a teaching position in the town of St. Joseph. Accompanied by a surly chaperone who is a closet drunk, Felicity bumps into Logan Campbell on the train. Logan is also headed to St. Joseph, but for a different reason. He's a conductor on the Underground Railroad. And his hideout is a whorehouse.
Felicity happens to move into the house next door.
Her timing is poor. A shipment of fugitives is expected any day, and a local doctor, in on the plan, has officially placed the house under a quarantine to throw off the townsfolk and keep them away. The sheriff in particular is getting suspicious. Logan is attracted to Felicity but doesn't want to be. He's convinced that his illegitimacy will brand her as an outcast, plus, he's never really loved anybody.