This is much more than a novel.  It is the saga involving the turbulent social and political history of the final opening of Indian lands.  It takes place from 1888 to 1907 in what is now part of modern Oklahoma.  That vast area was taken from Native Americans through ruthless chicanery and lawyering.  This period marks the last stages of development of the American frontier as settlers move in to put down stakes in a region called the Medicine Bundle Grasslands.  It is also a time when semi-civilized men are suddenly thrust into a conventional social order with a new structure of laws that do not tolerate rough individualistic behavior.  Clashes between them and the new order are inevitable and calamitous.  The homesteading family of Luther and Fionna McCracken and their children seek a new beginning during those years to escape past unhappiness.  But they must struggle against both the law and lawless to make their dreams a reality.  The final crushing dilemma is when their son joins the opposing ranchers who are fighting to stay this invasion of homesteaders.  The boy’s rebellion turns to bold outlawry bringing catastrophic consequences to the family.  They can only hope that their faith and energy can bring about a happy conclusion of the struggle.

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