This is a family saga, spanning the years from World War II through the Vietnam War and after, recounting the unseen wounds war inflicts on two generations of a family. With a raw authenticity stripped of self-pity, and a poet's eye for lyrical detail, Betty recounts her wartime romance with Army Air Corps Sergeant Mitch Lanier, their rocky marriage, the births of a son and daughter, and Mitch's gradual spiral into schizophrenia. Betty relies on her love of the land to give her the courage to fulfill her marriage vows and to protect her family. It is also the story of a conflicted relationship between Betty and her daughter, Torie, as well as Betty's pride and fears for son, Michael, who becomes a combat infantry lieutenant in Vietnam. The author drew on her observations of her father's mental illness to give this novel authenticity.