The book tells the story of a talented artist born in a small town in Colorado who discovers and develops her singing voice.

Her story is told against the backdrop of the burgeoning American West in which she was born in a town along the rail line, of fast-growing Chicago near the turn of the twentieth century, and of the audience for singers of her skills in the US compared to Europe.

The ambitious young heroine, Thea Kronborg, leaves her hometown to go to Chicago to fulfill her dream of becoming a well-trained pianist, a better piano teacher.

At each step along the way, her realization of the mediocrity of her peers propels her to greater levels of accomplishment, but in the course of her ascent she must discard those relationships which no longer serve her.

Tillie turns down the local drama club's notion of having Thea play a part in The Drummer Boy of Shiloh, knowing that acting is not her niece's talent.

After Christmas, Wunsch tells Thea about a Spanish opera singer who could sing an alto part of Christoph Willibald Gluck.

That fall, Mr. Kronborg insists that Thea help at the Wednesday prayer meeting by playing the organ and leading the hymns, and she does.

At fifteen, religion perplexes Thea, as typhoid kills her schoolmates and a local tramp, the source of the infection, is made to leave town; she wonders if the Bible tells people to help him instead.

On the way from Moonstone to Saxony, Ray's train has an accident and the next day he bids an emotional goodbye to Thea before he dies.

After the funeral, Dr. Archie informs Mr. Kronborg that Ray has bequeathed six hundred dollars to Thea for her to go to Chicago and study music there.

Fred Ottenburg shows up for lessons, a man who is educated, lively and closer to her age than all her male teachers.

Thea catches an infection and does not fully recover; she needs a break in her familiar desert setting but will not return to her family until she has accomplished something.

Fred suggests that she spend the summer on a ranch in Arizona where there are some of the cliff homes of the ancient peoples that Thea has longed to see.

She recoups her health, with days in the canyon, resting in one of the ancient cliff dwellings, while sharing the meals of Mr. and Mrs. Bitmer.

They take refuge from a severe storm, and then make a daring trek back to the ranch in the dark, met by Bitmer with a lantern.

In Denver, Dr. Archie receives a telegram from Thea summoning him to New York City and asking him to lend her money so that she can study singing in Germany.

Ten years after Thea leaves for Germany, Dr. Archie lives in Denver after his mining investments succeed and his wife has died.

Besides Archie and Fred, two other people from her past are in the audience—Harsanyi, her teacher from Chicago, and Spanish Johnny, the Mexican mandolin player from Moonstone, who all deeply enjoy her performance, as does the entire audience.