From the age of twelve, when he is sent alone into the wilderness to run an Indian trading post, Will's life becomes intertwined with the destiny of the Cherokee Indians, as he falls in love with a girl named Claire, and builds a friendship with a chief named Bear.

A sixth-generation North Carolinian, highly-acclaimed author John Ehle grew up on former Cherokee hunting grounds. His experience as an accomplished novelist, combined with his extensive, meticulous research, culminates in this moving tragedy rich with historical detail. The Cherokee are a proud, ancient civilization. For hundreds of years they believed themselves to be the "Principle People" residing at the center of the earth. But by the 18th century...

Discusses the traditional life of the Cherokee peoples in the southern Appalachian Mountains, their beliefs and sense of community, culture, their forced migration along the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma, and life in the twentieth century and beyond.

Describes the Federal government's seizure of Cherokee land in Georgia and the forced migration of the Cherokee Nation along the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma.

"Brill Jessup just became the first female police chief in Sophie Trace, Tennessee, and is riding on the credentials of a stellar eighteen-year career on the Memphis police force...Before she even has time to unpack her boxes, people start disappearing. Lots of them. To complicate matters, a local legend has many residents believing that the cause is unearthly--tied to red "shadows", or spirits of the departed Cherokee who once inhabited the land..."--p.[4]...