A young Swedish boy finds himself in penniless and alone in California. He travels East in search of his brother, moving on foot against the great push to the West. Driven back over and over again on his journey through vast expanses, Hakan meets naturalists, criminals, religious fanatics, Indians, and lawmen, and his exploits turn him into a legend. Diaz defies the conventions of historical fiction and genre (travel narratives, the bildungsroman,...

"While caring for her grandmother, Kristin encounters the brother she long thought dead. In shock, she volunteers to care for her brother's injured friend, Ilian. As Ilian recovers, an attraction sparks between them, but both are dealing with problems that have no easy answers. With no clear way forward, can love ever thrive and the past be forgiven?"--