In 1974, the Allbright family—Ernt, Cora, and their teenage daughter Leni—abandon their troubled life in Seattle and drive to the remote Alaskan frontier, seeking a fresh start in a land of untamed beauty and brutal isolation. Ernt, a volatile Vietnam veteran, dreams of self-sufficiency on their new homestead, but the family quickly discovers that Alaska's harsh winters and unforgiving landscape demand more than ambition. As Ernt's controlling nature intensifies and his violence escalates, Cora and Leni find themselves trapped in a nightmare where help is miles away and survival means enduring both nature's cruelty and a predator within their own home. Leni, caught between loyalty to her parents and her own awakening, must navigate first love, dangerous secrets, and the question of whether escape is possible. The novel explores themes of isolation, domestic abuse, resilience, and the price of freedom, set against the stunning and merciless backdrop of 1970s Alaska.
