Twice orphaned, first by the death of her parents and again when her new guardian, her aunt passes Zorrie Underwood drifts west, surviving on odd jobs and sleeping in barns before she finally gains a position at a radium processing plant where the girls glow at the end of each day from the radioactive material. When Indiana calls Zorrie home she finally finds the love and community that have so far eluded her but as she tries to build a new life, Zorrie soon discovers that her trials have only just begun.