This historical novel, literary and engaging, examines a close-knit community of Amish pioneers over several decades (right up to the eve of the American Civil War).

Employing eight different voices, Miller unpeels the cohesions and tensions as settlers move west while others stay behind. Beneath the surface but never quite forgotten is the unsolved murder of an Amish baby (based on a true incident).

Set from Spring 1810 through Spring 1861, the story follows those who make their way west from Somerset, Pennsylvania, to Holmes County, Ohio, but also stays close to those who choose to remain on their more established homesteads.

A quite restrained and nearly inexpressive people, the Amish and their interior lives are captured faultlessly by Miller. She gives distinguishing voices to the hurt and vengeful father; the teenaged woman who thinks she saw the person guilty of the infanticide; the accused; the old, bent minister and the young, certain one; and relatives who try dutifully to intervene.

This is a story of judgment and misplaced responsibility, of attempts at love and forgiveness, and finally of grace despite unspeakable loss. It is told lyrically from within this often-idealized but scarred human community.

An unforgettable story.