Read by Alan Wade

A battle-scarred father. A disillusioned daughter. Can a grieving widower rebuild his splintered family to find peace at last? South Dakota, 1949. WWII veteran John Smith longs for the life he lost after the tragic death of his wife during childbirth. But in the desperation to provide for his two small children, he is manipulated into an unsuitable marriage by a young woman with a dark neurosis. Tormented by his own grief and the ravages of war, John is blind to his children's turmoil and pain. Washington State, 1964. John's sixteen-year-old daughter Calla dreams of a life beyond her vindictive stepmother. Forced to care for her younger siblings with a list of household demands larger than she is tall, Calla knows it's only a matter of time until she can escape the abuse and begin anew at college. But her dreams crumble when her heartless stepmother claims the college fund for her own selfish purposes. As John fears he is too late to stop the war within his home, Calla vows to build a new life worth living. Can John survive the consequences of war on the home front? Can Calla find the strength to rediscover the meaning of family?

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