A granddaughter explores the stark contrasts in her grandmother's life before and after the Great Depression. The author blends family lore, memoir and research to investigate the mystery of the banished father her grandmother never met. The Mother Lode region of California is featured in one section set in Calaveras County from 1948-1959. Other prominent settings are 19th and early 20th century Galesburg, Illinois, northwestern Nebraska, Drayton North Dakota, Wellington County Ontario and Saskatchewan.