A Seat by the Hearth

In order to escape an abusive boyfriend, Priscilla Allgyer returns to the community she thought she'd left behind forever-returning with her six-year-old son after being excommunicated and estranged from her family for years. Hermother welcomes them, but her father is cold, only allowingher to live with them if she dresses plainly, confesses hersins, and agrees to marry within the community. Once again,she feels suffocated and trapped.

Priscilla reluctantly completes her shunning but notices Mark Riehl, a farmer with a playboy reputation, remaining kind to her and her son. After her father and the bishop catch Mark and Priscilla in a compromising situation, the two are compelled to enter an awkward engagement that neither had planned.

As Priscilla and Mark get married and live as friends, love quietly grows between them. Together they learn not only how to love and trust, but also how to move beyond the past and build a future for their unexpected new family.