Without Mama, life in the log house at the forest's edge can be lonely for a seven-year-old girl. But there's Papa for company, and the two mules, Bartholomew and Thaddeus Frisco, and the big old dog that mysteriously showed up at the end of winter.

Most days are filled with chores and labors in the field near the river, while nights are spent talking and singing beside the fire, or reading by candlelight with Papa.

Everything seems right and in its place—that is, until the storm comes and threatens to take it all away. As the flood waters rise and separate her from her papa, the little girl feels her life and all she loves being torn from her. But in her most desperate moment, she encounters something that washes away her fear and brings a loving presence into her disrupted life. 

In his debut book, Douglas Kaine McKelvey shares an unforgettable story of a girl's faith, personal courage, and amazing survival in the wilderness.

From the dust jacket