The story of a miner who, by braving his fears, discovers the Motherlode.... As an orphan living in the slums of Boston during the Civil War, Sollinger is betrayed by his belated father's partner and sent to prison for 35 years. He is released into the bustling Industrialized America of 1896, minus an eye, and begins his personal quest to find not only his father, if he's alive, but also a vein of gold, even though the Gold Rush has long since passed. Driven west, physically ill, he arrives in Canyon City, where he learns of a mysterious, some say haunted, mine up in the mountains. What he finds is something he cannot live without-gold, of course, but of a purity more valuable than anything he's sought before. He finds his son. His journey will draw him close to the writings of Job and will demand from him not only all the relationships around him, but also the depths of himself. His decisions will impact the mine, the miners, his family, and the entire town of Canyon City, struck hard by the Depression of 1893.