Attractive Resourceful Woman encounters adventure, empowerment, and romance in the Klondike

Jefferson Randolph Smith alias "Soapy Smith" - an enterprising opportunistic adventure seeker wheeler dealer with a larger than life personality who relishes life on the gold frontier. Has made his living in various shady dealings and by relieving naive people of their hard earned money through offering various "investment" opportunities.

Tara Kane -  leaves San Francisco to search for her husband who left several years prior to strike it rich on the Alaskan gold frontier (before Alaska was a state.) She hasn't heard from him and their infant daughter has died leaving her bereft and free to set out to find him in the mysterious Yukon.

Daniel Kane - the missing husband who doesn't appear until the end of the story - posthumously 

Ernst Hart - German photographer who befriends and helps Tara on their initial boat voyage. He wants to capture the gold field in all its color and human interest.

Mrs. Miles - stern but warm-hearted self made woman who gives Tara a job and friendship.

The author writes "Tara is quite simply my ideal woman..."

Tara begins her journey as a fairly sheltered woman of her times. During the course of her search she learns how to drive a dog sled, camps in the arctic wilderness, shoots a man who attempts to assault and kill her, barters with prostitutes and charlatans, and develops a tenuous friendship with Soapy Smith whose favors and help she reluctantly receives at first. He doesn't give up and by the last third of the book they have adopted a child together and are unquestionably in love. He consults her and begins to craft his life and aspirations around her. (or so he claims) 

Hart continues to be her friend until she turns down his offer of marriage (typical.) 

The story ends with tumultuous political times of which Smith is the center. There is a gunfight which she witnesses. His antagonist has his back to Tara and Smith is shot down. She runs to his side and promises to marry him as he takes his last breath. 

It's not until she returns to San Francisco with her adopted son, that she learns that the opponent was actually her missing husband Daniel. The reader never knows whether Soapy suppressed her ability to find him or if the husband simply was idiotic enough to leave his gorgeous brave wife and then to ignore her highly publicized attempts to find him in the wilderness. 

But one (like the author) can't but admire her courage and the story is well-crafted and not really that predictable.