Nothing ever happens in Junction City, a small, forgotten town on the Nebraska prairie, until Michael Barron arrives with six year-old Emma. He thought they had left the past behind when they move into an old Victorian house on the outskirts of town. It is not what he expected. "A large, gray house...stood all by itself on the grassy plain, lonely and austere. There was no picket fence, no flowers. Only a few straggly bushes hunkered down in the wind. An old trail with faint tire tracks meandered through the weeds to the house past two gigantic cottonwood trees which looked as much out of place on this empty land as the dwelling." The newcomers arouse suspicion and soon find themselves entrapped in the dark schemes of curious observers who prowl around the house at night. Everybody has something to hide, not only Michael. As half-truths turn into malicious designs and misunderstandings collide with good intentions, a misadventure becomes a tragedy. To read this compelling and moving novel is to be swept up in the fate of people who are lonely and dejected. When extraordinary events shake up their lives, they are forced to take a stand. Does goodness trump evil? Does compassion overcome selfishness? Human nature has a great potential for love, even where one doesn't expect it.
