Publisher's Synopsis
"Lee Pate is a man of principle. Either that, or he is a misguided dreamer. Troubled by the institution of slavery, he uproots his family of three sons and a wife without notice and leaves Tennessee. Destitute and bound for Mexico, his wife, Sarah, and eldest sons, Richard and Melvin, grow increasingly frustrated. Only the youngest son, Abel, is willing to follow his father without question. From somewhere in Arkansas, Lee sends his three sons back to Tennessee on a quest that will change the relationship between Abel and his brothers forever. Laying over for the winter in Fort Smith, the Pate family meets up with Daniel Lewis and his four daughters. The Lewises, Mormons fleeing persecution in Missouri and bound for Texas, opt instead to cast their lot with the Pates and head west to Santa Fe and the Mexican Province of New Mexico. Following a barely explored trail across Indian Territory, the travelers take on an unfamiliar landscape,
