From the author ofThe Heretic's Daughter, an epic Texan adventure of love, loss, and kinship - for any fan of True Grit; for any reader or listener of the best-selling Geraldine Brooks.

Greed. Desire. Death. Love.

It's the 19th century on the Gulf Coast of Texas, a time of opportunity and lawlessness. Lucinda: intelligent, passionate, wily and courageous - a woman who braves her affliction and risks her own life to pursue her lover, a man as charismatic as he is ruthless.

Nate: pure of heart, and with a strong sense of justice - a Texas policeman who belies his gentle nature to fight and seek the truth.

Bill: a killer who has claimed the lives of men, women and children across the frontier. A man who knows what he wants and will do anything to claim it.

The Outcasts. A disparate group of men who have made a living out of violence, and a woman who will stop at nothing to prove herself.