1900, Woodstock, Illinois: John Wienke has made a name for himself in his small town as a trusted and steady son and brother, a hard worker, and a would-be politician. His parents and three of his seven brothers immigrated from Prussia before John was born and have struggled against the poor economic times of the late 1800s. At 30 years, he is well on his way to success. He is only lacking one thing - a wife.

1900, Racine, Wisconsin: Ida Doering came to America from Germany as a young child and has been a major breadwinner for her family since their father died. An accomplished seamstress, her dresses have graced the debutantes of the important families in the city. But at 26 years, she pines for married life and children. She's almost given it up as a pipedream.

Each chapter constitutes a year in John and Ida's lives as they search for that elusive dream of happiness.

The series, The Woodstock Tales, follows the Wienke and Doering families as they meander through the mores and menaces facing birth and death, passion and greed, success and failure spanning the twentieth century in American.