Summary

Ida Stover grew up with ten siblings and a difficult childhood. Both of her parents passed away before she was a teenager, but she persevered with inner strength against the many hardships she faced. She was constantly driven to improve herself in any way she could, even sneaking away from home to enroll herself in high school and college at Lane University. She studied music, and was not naturally gifted or especially intelligent but was able to do well due to her perseverance and determination.

While at Lane, she met a man named David Eisenhower, falling in love with and marrying him soon after. He opened a store with a partner, but when it failed he lied about the situation. He told her that his partner stole all the money, and he decided to move to Texas alone without discussing it with Ida first...