Hannah Blau, a young midwife, is driven by a passion to help other women--from Russian noblewomen to prostitutes--bring their babies safely into the world. After surviving pogroms, she emigrates to America where midwives present an economic threat to the emerging specialty of obstetrics, but the greatest challenge Hannah faces is from three men--Stefan Petrograv, the brilliant Russian doctor; Lazar, a firebrand socialist; and Nathaniel Belinsky, a ruthless, virile businessman. Each loves her and tries to make her his own while she struggles to confront a hostile world that tests her vision of personal and professional happiness.