Barren Ground is a 1925 novel by Ellen Glasgow giving an account of 30 years in the life of a woman in rural Virginia.
Dorinda Oakley is an intelligent, independent and vibrant young lady who is trying find herself and her purpose in life by moving to New York after a love disillusion.
A young doctor proposes to her, but she refuses him, determined to “find something else in life.” After her father's death, Dorinda returns to the family farm, which is impoverished and overgrown with broomsedge.
Having studied scientific agriculture in New York, she introduces progressive methods, gradually returning the "barren ground" to fertility and creating a prosperous dairy farm.
After her mother's death, she marries Nathan Pedlar to provide a home for his children, and after he dies, she shelters Jason, now penniless and ill from excessive drinking.