Set during the Great Depression, the story follows four orphans—Odie, Albert, Mose, and Emmy—who escape from a harsh boarding school in Minnesota and embark on a life-changing journey down the Mississippi River. As they seek freedom and a place to call home, they encounter a variety of characters and challenges that test their resilience and shape their understanding of family, friendship, and faith. Through their adventures, the narrative explores themes of survival, redemption, and the search for belonging in a turbulent world.
Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, William Kent Krueger briefly attended Stanford University—before being kicked out for radical activities. After that, he logged timber, worked construction, tried his hand at freelance journalism, and eventually ended up researching child development at the University of Minnesota. He currently makes his living as a full-time author. He’s been married for over 40 years to a marvelous woman who is an attorney. He makes his home in St. Paul, a city he de…
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