Based on the archaeological and anthropological record, this story is a vivid and convincing drama depicting the lives of a small clan in the middle of the thirteenth century, in what is now northern New Mexico long before Europeans reached the Southwest. The narrative is fresh, alive and fast-paced. The prose is highly polished and readable. Its strong, finely-drawn characters come to life showing us how they faced the challenges of climate, landscape, birth, death and survival. It’s as though the hundreds of years separating their experience from ours disappear. It feels incredibly authentic. The themes of birth, death, love, hope, courage, fear, suffering and endurance are as emotionally powerful now as they have been throughout human history.