Born of Gilded Mountains

Due to a mail mix-up, Marybeth Spatts, from the coal mines of North Carolina, and Rusty Bright, from the mineral-rich San Juan Mountains of Colorado, become accidental pen pals and fast friends on the cusp of the Great Depression. Kindred spirits on the page, the girls vow to one day find the lost treasure that will save Rusty’s Colorado town of Mercy Peak from extinction. When Marybeth finally visits Colorado in person, however, all her dreams change. A chance role in the last silent film catapults her to stardom, and she becomes Hollywood’s latest darling, who can do no wrong—until she’s locked out of the studio under mysterious circumstances. A return to Mercy Peak reveals that the Galloping Goose mail train disappeared the same day Marybeth left, and the infamous locomotive may hold the key to both riches and restored friendship.