A rancher is consumed to take more and more land, driven by the memory of his father. A hunger for power in the province’s capital may result in a dam flooding the area. Then, a gunshot changes everything.

An unforgiving winter envelops young Noah Hanlon, on the run after being charged with murder. Searching endless terrain for the real killer, he reconnects with his Indigenous heritage. Revelations point in unexpected directions. A whiff of perfume, a lilac bush, the chirps of sparrows and, of course, a gun — all these may exonerate him and save the land.

Bruce Fraser’s iconic début novel is republished in a revised edition with new material, beginning his trilogy exploring the vast canvas of the Chilcotin region of British Columbia.