Includes bibliographical references.

In 1886, Gretta Pope wakes one morning to discover that her husband is gone. Ulysses Pope has left his family behind on the far edge of Minnesotas western prairie with only the briefest of notes and no explanation for why he left or where hes headed. It doesnt take long for Grettas young sons, Eli and Danny, to set off after him, following the scant clues they can find, jumping trains to get where they need to go, and ending up in the rugged badlands of Montana.Gretta has no choice but to search for her sons and her husband, leading her to the doorstep of a woman who seems intent on making Ulysses her own. Meanwhile, the boys find that the closer they come to Ulysses trail, the greater the perils that confront them, until each is faced with a choice about whom he will defend, and who he will become.Engers breathtaking portrait of the vast plains landscape is matched by the rich expanse of his characters emotional terrain, as pivotal historical events--the bloody turmoil of expansionism, the near total demise of the bison herds, and the subjugation of the Plains Indians--blend seamlessly with the intimate story of a familys sacrifice and devotion.