The Magic of Ordinary Days

1944. World War II. Denver. Livy Dunne has essentially been thrown out of her home by her stern father, Rev. Dunne, because she's pregnant and unmarried. She's banished to rural Colorado, to go through an arranged marriage to a lonely farmer, so her child will have a "father." When she arrives in tiny Wilson, Colorado, Livy and her "betrothed," gentle but strong Ray Singleton, are wary around each other. Worldly Livy is bored by Ray and the hardscrabble life he leads --despite his inherent goodness and wisdom. As the months pass Lily learns more about this calm, practical, self-effacing farmer and his sister Martha - "a queen among women" - and her family. Slowly almost imperceptibly, Livy realizes she may have found "home," quite accidentally. For his part, Ray becomes a regular visitor at the town library, reading the classics so he can converse intelligently with his educated wife. Livy befriends two Japanese-American girls who have been interned with their parents at a nearby camp; Florence and Rose are smart and beautiful. They end up teaching Livy a valuable lesson about life and love. Livy has her baby, elects to stay with Ray, and as she tells her sister-in-law, "I've learned more about love in my six months with this family than in the 25 in my father's home."