Walter Runningcrane Jr.

This beautifully understated Western is the story of a son raised by two fathers, one from the European East and one from the American West. On the cusp of the 20th century, somewhere on the American frontier, Igor, an immigrant and recent widower, struggles to raise his two-year-old son Ivo on his own. When his American friend and mentor Duncan decides to move his horse-breeding business and young family to California, Igor and Ivo join the wagon train headed West.

Chase, a rugged cowboy and solitary drifter who closed off his heart long ago—until the day he impulsively does a kindness for a beautiful young woman, and everything changes over the course of three days.

As the former British Colonies on the east coast became the United States of America, their sights were now set on what lay west. A ludicrously good land deal with France unlocks a vast wilderness seemingly open for the taking.