Liz is a young woman and a promising painter. Beth, her aunt, is an established painter. This story is about their lives. Beth is missing near the Black Hills where she owns a large ranch. Jake, their ranch foreman, calls Liz with the news of Beth's disappearance where she is studying in North Carolina. Liz is studying art at a college near the beach home and property the family owns. The family's pasts are intertwined with an old gold mine, visions, swampland, and ancient hills of South Dakota. Secrets are revealed as the story continues. Visions called mirrors guide Liz. Since childhood, both she and her aunt Beth have painted messages at the bottom of their paintings. This is the way to help Liz solve problems with their lives, past events, and the lands they own. Along the way, she meets Ben Kelly, a Native American. He is a professor at the university and does archeology research. Their lives intermingle, both learning about each other's pasts, lifestyles, and ideals. Jake is not only her foreman as Liz soon discovers family secrets after Beth's body is discovered in the old gold mine. Many characters keep the storyline moving in several directions.