In the rugged, wooded country of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a Swedish-Moravian bachelor and young Ukrainian woman must help each other survive when their families fall victim to the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918.

 

Nels Oskar Fahlstrom spent his early adulthood clearing his family's homestead site and raising crops. Then as suddenly as a thunderclap in a clear sky his quiet life ends.  The flu sweeps through the countryside in the fall of 1918 and wipes out most of the Fahlstrom family, with Nels Oskar himself near death. His infant nephew clings to life because Nels Oskar is too ill to care for him.  His neighbor, Molly, nurses him and his nephew back to health.  Nels Oskar hires her to maintain their household, and Molly -- married to a man she hasn't seen in years -- eventually moves in with her daughter. The circumstances force Nels Oskar into the unfamiliar roles of father, head of the household, and businessman.

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Trouble develops when Nels Oskar unknowingly hires the husband who deserted Molly to help run his expanding farming and logging operations. At the same time, his nephew's father returns and tries to take custody of the little boy. 

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This vivid story accurately portrays a time of hardship and hope. Alice Behrend's personal experience as a logger, horse trainer, and parent provided her with the background to write this piece of genuine Americana.