Wyoming

The novel is set during one of the Revolutionary War's bloodiest and least remembered atrocities. In the summer of 1778, British-backed Loyalists and Iroquois warriors descended upon the peaceful Wyoming Valley settlements of Pennsylvania, resulting in a massacre that would be largely forgotten by history. The narrative follows eighteen-year-old Fred Godfrey as he races toward home, drawn by desperate urgency to shield his family, Maggie, Eva, and Aunt Peggy, from the terror advancing through the valley. As he rides through the chaos, smoke rising from burning homesteads and gunfire echoing across the hills, he embodies the youthful courage and fierce loyalty that defined frontier resistance during America's war for independence. Ellis weaves together multiple perspectives, showing how families were torn apart and forced to flee into the wilderness, their fates intertwined with the broader conflict between Patriots, Loyalists, and Native American forces. The story stands as a stark reminder that the Revolutionary War extended far beyond famous battles, reaching into vulnerable communities where ordinary people faced extraordinary violence.