A statue of founder Ethan Hoyt is dedicated in Hoyt City, and 100-year-old Hannah Sempler Hoyt (who lives in the last residence among skyscrapers) is finally persuaded to tell her story to a "girl biographer." In 1848, Hannah meets and flirts with pioneer Ethan; they elope on a spur of the moment. We follow them as they struggle to establish a city in the wilderness, hampered by the Gold Rush, star-crossed love, danger, and heartbreak. The star "ages" to the tune of 80 years.