Story of two sisters who try to save the family's failing orchard business and resolve their conflicts with each other.

Moving away from the dark tone of her more recent masterpieces, Joyce Carol Oates turns the tale of a family struggling to cope with its fall from grace into a deeply moving and unforgettable account of the vigor of hope and the power of love to prevail over suffering. The Mulvaneys of High Point Farm in Mt. Ephraim, New York, are a large and fortunate clan, blessed with good looks, abundant charisma, and boundless promise. But over the twenty-five...

Sixteen-year-old Mattie, determined to attend college and be a writer against the wishes of her father and boyfriend, takes a job at a hotel in 1906 where the death of a guest renews her determination to live her own life.

During the War of 1812, Caroline finds evidence that someone is smuggling precious supplies to the British and fears that the traitor may be her own uncle. Includes an "Inside Caroline's World" essay about smuggling during the War of 1812.