On January 12, 1888, the prairie sky was clear, the air deceptively mild. By afternoon, a fast-moving blizzard descended, trapping schoolchildren and their young teachers in a life-or-death struggle.
Raina and Gerda Olsen, two sisters teaching in the Dakota Territory, each face an impossible choice: keep their students inside with dwindling fuel or send them home and pray they survive the storm. Anette Pedersen, a servant girl, endures a miraculous ordeal that forever changes her path—and captures the attention of Gavin Woodson, a newspaperman seeking redemption.
Based on true survivor accounts, this gripping novel from the bestselling author of The Aviator’s Wife is a powerful tale of courage, sacrifice, and the resilience of immigrant homesteaders battling both the elements and the false promises that brought them to an unforgiving land.
