First published 2009
In 1863, freed slave Britt Johnson ventures west with his family, seeking a new life on the Texas plains. But their dreams are shattered when a brutal Comanche raid leaves Britt's wife enslaved and his children lost. Driven by grief and determination, Britt vows to stop at nothing to rescue his family from this alien world. Meanwhile, Quaker agent Samuel Hammond grapples with his own moral reckoning as he navigates the clashing cultures of settlers and Native tribes. Paulette Jiles's sweeping historical epic lays bare the devastating human costs of westward expansion.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Texas
Period: 1846-1950, 1863
368 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow
Content warnings: slavery, violence