*WINNER! 2020 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America - FINALIST, Oklahoma Book Award* In the restless years after the Civil War, a wounded nation turns west. Caleb Justin, orphaned and aching for purpose, leaves the Ohio River with his closest friend, Joshua Hart, a runaway with more grit than faith. Their plan: to reach Fort Leavenworth and enlist under General Sheridan. But when an old injury ends Caleb's dream, the two are torn apart-- Joshua joins Custer's ranks, and Caleb is left to survive alone on the unforgiving prairie.
Scraping by, Caleb's luck runs out when he's captured by a band of Cheyenne. What begins as captivity becomes an awakening as he learns to see the war-torn plains through the eyes of those his country seeks to destroy. Then fate intervenes: a wagon train under attack, and a young woman-- Joan Monnet, the spirited daughter of a railroad tycoon-- thrown into Caleb's path.
As winter closes in, Caleb, Joan, and Joshua are drawn inexorably toward the Washita River, where Custer's forces prepare to strike a Cheyenne village. Amid snow and smoke, loyalty and conscience collide. Each must decide what survival truly means-- and what it will cost.
