Drought has forced farmers around the small town of Bountiful in the Hope region of Oregon to mortgage their property. Then word comes of plans for a spur line to run through the area and join the railroad in nearby Milton. Folks with money see an opportunity to fill their coffers by buying farmland cheap then selling to the railroad for a profit. The Bank of Bountiful, owned by Eli Whitman, appears to be doing that, as well.
Ginny Aiken, a former newspaper reporter, lives in Pennsylvania with her engineer husband. Born in Havana, Cuba, raised in Valencia and Caracas, Venezuela, she discovered books early and wrote her first novel at age fifteen while she trained with the Venezuelan Classical Ballet Company. She burned that tome when she turned a "mature" sixteen. Ginny has taught novel-writing seminars and workshops at Harrisburg(PA) Area Community College and Penn State University.