In spare, allusive prose, Sheila Watson charts the destiny of a small, tightly knit community nestled in the British Columbia interior. Here, among the hills of Cariboo country, men and women are caught upon the double hook of existence, unaware that the flight from danger and the search for glory are both part of the same journey. In Watson`s compelling novel, cruelty and kindness, betrayal and faith, shape a pattern of enduring human significance.