Fragile Hopes, Transient Dreams

Alert for danger, Laura Roth stands at the door of her sod house, anxiously watching a lone rider cantering toward her across the prairie. Dismounting, he removes his hat and bows slightly. His eyes-in striking contrast to his dark skin, black hair and beard-are an intense blue. He returns her gaze honestly. She sees nothing to fear. As she dips a cup of water from the barrel by the door and offers it to the weary traveler, Laura never dreams that she and this man would share a mutual secret to the grave. Thus begins the saga of John and Laura Roth and their descendents; their hopes and dreams, trials and tribulations through 110 years on the sweeping Kansas plains. We meet: Eva, spoiled and willful, who "does what she has to do" to survive the depression. Silas, who chooses an unorthodox way to deal with his wife's infidelity. Gerald who, haunted by a phantom from a boyhood indiscretion, also harbors a lifelong secret. And more. The land, located on the western fringe of "The Heartland", one of the richest wheat and gas producing regions in the world, is a significant protagonist in this Southwest Kansas saga.