All that glitters is not gold. Its 1892 and Golden, New Mexico, is a booming mining town where men far outnumber women. So when wealthy miner Philip Smith finds himself in need of a nursemaid, he decides to place an ad for a mail-order bride. His friend Jeremiah Dennison opposes the scheme, arguing that any woman crazy enough to come to Golden will be a gold-digger like everyone else in town. Jeremiah appears to be right when the ad is answered by Madeleine Mercer, a young woman who arrives in town under a cloud of suspicion. But just as she begins to win over the old minerand Jeremiah himselfa stranger comes to Golden armed with new accusations that could tarnish Madeleines character beyond redemption.