This title is a quiet, unassuming family drama that compares and contrasts the community, morality, and spiritual foundations between Amish life and the outside world. When Daniel Kleinhaus, a successful accountant of German American ancestry, loses his beloved wife in a tragic accident caused by a drunk driver, he looks to the nearby Amish farming community for solace and the opportunity to live more simply.

Daniel settles easily into Amish life, transitioning gracefully from the complicated, chaotic modern life of the "English" to the Amish Ordnung, the unwritten rules that "cover everything from plain dress in clothing, to the avoidance of technology, to humility and simplicity in social interaction." Following Ordnung to the letter allows entry into the Amish church, a sign of full acceptance by the community. Daniel marries, and the couple is soon blessed with a son, Eli. But his new wife is soon struck down with brain damage caused during a farm accident. Years pass as Daniel and Eli learn to cope without Sarah, the gentle, devoted wife and mother. But as happens in any community, there are tensions swirling under the calm surface of domestic tranquility, and doubts lurking, even in the hearts of the faithful.

Author Canfield explores the philosophical question of "nature or nurture" by comparing and contrasting the differences between being born into a spiritual community and choosing to convert and blend into it. He also examines the remarkable differences between living for service to God and community and enjoying life based on individual choice and desire. His writing is clean, simple, and accessible, and with its many young characters, the novel is also suitable for young adult readers. The author brings his experience as a native of a small Pennsylvania town into his writing, making his characters, their speech patterns, and their conflicts feel authentic.

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