The stunning new novel from the author of international million-copy bestseller Cold Mountain
Hurtling past the downtrodden communities of Depression-era America painter Val Welch travels
westward to the rural town of Dawes Wyoming. Through a stroke of luck he's landed a New Deal
assignment to create a mural representing the region for their new Post Office. A wealthy art
lover named John Long and his wife Eve have agreed to host Val at their sprawling ranch. Rumors
and intrigue surround the couple: Eve left behind an itinerant life riding the rails and
singing in a western swing band. Long holds shady political aspirations but was once a WWI
sniper-and his right hand is a mysterious elder cowboy a vestige of the violent old west. Val
quickly finds himself entranced by their lives. One day Eve flees home with a valuable
painting in tow and Long recruits Val to hit the road with a mission of tracking her down.
Journeying from ramshackle Hoovervilles to San Francisco nightclubs to the swamps of Florida
Val's search for Eve narrows and he soon turns up secrets that could spark formidable changes
for all of them.
