THE DEFIANT HEART is unlike any other book Rutherford Montgomery has written, though it shows more powerfully than ever his knowledge and love of the great outdoors, especially the high mountain country of the West. It is a story about a young man and young woman who grow up together and eventually fall in love and marry. A tragic accident ends their happiness.

Their life in Cat Canyon on the Colorado Plateau is a simple and primitive one, but their remote world is full of the drama of their rugged country. Buck is as proud and tough and fearless as the mountain animals he hunts, and Camara is a true child of nature, at home and at ease in every part of the canyon.

After Buck falls to his death from a pinnacle during a reckless attempt to capture a baby eagle, Camara goes often to the eyrie to watch the young eagles learning to fly. Returning from one of her solitary walks and realizing she will have a baby, Camara suddenly knows that a whole new future has opened up for her.

One day she sees a young male eagle attacked by falcons and she rescues him after one of his wings is badly broken. She names the eagle Pedro, and he becomes her constant companion and friend. Awaiting the birth of her child, Camara gives the wounded eagle all the love and tenderness that are stored within her.

An unusual and touching story, this reflects the beautiful rough simplicity of a mountain world.

From the dust jacket