Barnett transports readers back to the height of the Great Depression in 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal offers a glimmer of hope for unemployed young men. Nate Webber is one of the many to join the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to help provide for his family, but it means leaving everything he knows behind in Brooklyn for the untamed West. Shipped off to the wilds of Yellowstone, Nate is desperate to prove himself but hides a secret that could risk everything for him.

Elsie Brookes is proud to have grown up as a ranger’s daughter, but dreams of one day being a teacher. She’s spent several of her summers slaving away as a maid in the park hotels in order to save for college tuition, and a new teaching position in the CCC camp can help her finally reach her goal. Elsie is drawn to Nate, but has a secret of her own that she keeps hidden away. As their friendship leads to romance, a string of suspicious fires casts a dark shadow over the park, and they must race to uncover the truth before losing everything they have both worked for.

About the author: Karen Barnett is the author of the Vintage National Parks Series, The Road to Paradise and Where the Fire Falls, as well as four other novels, is a former park ranger. She has worked as a ranger naturalist and outdoor educator at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Silver Falls State Park, and Mount Rainier National Park. When not writing, Barnett enjoys photography, hiking, and public speaking. She lives in Oregon with her family.