In the early 1860's, the government of Upper Canada advertised free grant lands in the district of Muskoka and anyone could apply. Two intrepid families, the Casselmans and the Wares, took up the challenge and became neighbours on the twin sister lakes, Fairy and Peninsula. In 1901, their granddaughter, Beatrice Casselman was born with the gift of second sight in the burgeoning pioneer town of Huntsville. She was an eager receptacle for both her paternal and maternal grandfather's family histories, taking us back to the 1700's in Germany and the 1800's in England and Ireland. Beatrice spent a lifetime collecting the stories of the early settlers. Now her daughter has taken the family histories and her mother's memories of her remarkable life and woven it into a compelling epic celebrating the courage and determination of the people who built the new world.