In 1905, the law denouncing polygamy by the Mormon Church is fully enforced. Second familes must go into hiding or be arrested. There is even a "finder's fee" for those who turn in their own.Ten-year-old Mary's father, a poor farmer, abandons Mary, her nearly-blind mother, and six brothers and sisters in the hills of the Wasatch Mountains to live in a shallow dugout not much better than a cave. From Mary's childhood to a forced marriage at sixteen, Mary must first survive, and then choose her fate. This is the story of survival, love, and compassion in a sometimes heartless existence. It is also the story of Mary's deep conflict with the Church's teachings on plural marriage, and with her father, who has abandoned them.
Based on a true story.
"--compelling and makes me want to turn the page and spend the winter looking over their shoulders as the snow falls on Billie's Mountain"--David Payne, author of "Confessions of a Taoist on Wall Street," "Early to the Dance," and "Gravesend Light."