Winter 1868. On the rugged mountains of the Veneto, the inhabitants have by now almost completely disappeared: most of them, oppressed by appalling poverty, have emigrated to America in search of a better life. Holding on to this breathtaking, lonely landscape, is the De Boer family. But their precious tobacco smuggling gold is stolen by bandits, and twenty year old Jole De Boer, must face the disaster alone, armed only with her father's old rifle. During the chase, Jole passes through woods and deserted snow-covered villages on a journey that will force her to go much further than she ever imagined. For she soon learns that the border between good and evil can almost never be detected with the naked eye and the human search for redemption is endless.

"Told in a spare, almost naive style, this has all the hallmarks of a classic western: not deep, but certainly gripping." - Sunday Times

"Praise for the trilogy" - ---

"Poignant . . . haunting and altogether memorable" - Booklist

"This is the first novel to be translated into English by the prize-winning Italian author - the excellent translation is by Howard Curtis - and it's great." - Bookseller