This is a continuation of Shadow and Hannah's story, so the first book, Reckless Heart really should be read first. You won't be lost if you don't because some key points are covered in the form of reminiscing, but it's an abbreviated version of what happened and it's not as exciting as reading it as it happened in the first book. The first book is crazy good anyway.
In this book, Shadow and Hannah are separated when she is attacked by a soldier at the fort and is shot. Shadow is shot, too, and her father told him to run after he killed the man who'd assaulted her. He would be hanged for killing a white man, so he had no choice. He thought Hannah was dead and one of them had to survive to take care of their children. He was injured, but got himself back in order and returned for his children only to find out that her father had taken Hannah and the children to New York City to seek medical attention for Hannah who now had amnesia.
Enter that fool Joshua Berdeen again. He capitalizes on her memory loss, fills her full of lies, nearly makes her abandon her children, and then takes off with her, keeping her bound and gagged in the back of a wagon. Shadow should have killed that bastard when he had the chance. He thought he did, but that's covered in the story.
Shadow needs help getting to New York City. He's not sure where it is and he's never seen a city in his life. He looks up an old friend/lover Rebecca who agrees to help him. I know he needed her and that she thought she was desperately in love with him, but I wish that hadn't happened. I was disappointed in our hero then.
But things have a way of working themselves out and I got over my huff. But just for the record, she never willingly gave herself to Josh. She didn't know if Shadow was dead or alive, but she kept him in her heart. Kudos to Hannah.
Years go by in this book and we see Shadow and Hannah's children grow up and make lives for themselves and seek their own destinies. Their eldest son, Heecha, plays a major role in this story, taking front and center through the latter third of the book. He is a mirror of Shadow in so many ways and his life takes a similar path. I enjoyed that part much more than I thought I would.
The book has so much going on, but it isn't so busy that I lost track of anything. We've got Hannah, Heecha, Mary, yet another child named Blackie, Hannah's father, Rebecca, but mostly it's about Shadow making his way in a world where nobody wants him because of his race, making peace how ever he can with the loss of the Cheyenne ways, and the steadfast love of his wife and children that got him through it all.
Such a fantastic read!