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Longing to escape her restricted life in 1890s Oakland, California, feisty 17-year-old Beatrice Blake confronts her mother and deserts her fianc to accept a teaching job in the frontier mill town of Snohomish, Washington. But her dream of independence quickly turns grim. She proves unable to control her rowdy school children, the town's people accuse her of triggering a lumberman's death and of bringing smallpox. Her favorite dark cape prompts a rumor that she is a witch.Complicating her life, Beatrice is immediately attracted to a dashing German immigrant and she begins to question all she once held as true. As her personal crisis deepens, Beatrice rises to the challenge and begins to listen to her own heart. Humbled by her situation and the kindness of others, she finds unexpected happiness and freedom, discovering a generous and forgiving side of herself she had long kept hidden.