For 15 years, Cornelia Lager has endured a loveless marriage in turn-of-the-century rural Oregon. When her husband suddenly dies, she tries gallantly but unsuccessfully to run their farm single-handedly. Without income she must move into a dreary boarding house operated by the overbearing Hazel Romano and her hen-pecked husband, Frank. Accustomed to hard work, Cornelia fights boredom and loneliness in her bleak room, amid a motley assortment of male and female boarders. One evening at supper, everyone is shocked when Hazel chokes to death on a piece of her notoriously tough roasts. After a brief period of mourning their first question is, who will prepare the meals? Always passionate about cooking, Cornelia enthusiastically volunteers. Her tasty meals and nurturing ways have an almost magical effect on the boarders who gradually become a friendlier, happier group. So friendly, in fact, that romance blossoms among several couples, even Cornelia and Frank. Convinced that the boarding house has become a bordello, the prudish townspeople demand that it be closed down. To maintain their livelihood Cornelia and Frank come up with a creative solution that leads the novel to a happy conclusion. Enriched by historical and culinary detail, Cornucopia brings us colorful characters who are beset with moral dilemmas but determined to find romance and personal achievement.