It is 1965 and ninteen year old Sheila Gallagher is grateful to have finally escaped her dysfunctional family and married her high school sweetheart. Unfortunately she has barely unpacked in their Minneapolis apartment when Jim reveals he has joined the Navy. Now her plan to earn a music degree is foiled. Still, Sheila puts her dreams on the back burner and follows Jim to California for his first assignment. In this hostorical tale a young woman sets out on a ten-year quest to overcome obstacles and create the future of her dreams during a tumultuous time in America.