In this lyrical debut novel, a small fateful twist overtakes an isolated young woman seeking the courage and resilience to keep flowing forward, as a river, against all obstacles, in post-WWII Colorado. Victoria's horizons are circumscribed by caring for the family's prized orchard and her troubled father, uncle, and volatile brother. An accident years ago took her mother, leaving Victoria ignorant of love and sexuality until a chance meeting with a gentle, enigmatic drifter. Fearing the consequences, she heads to the mountains, where, bolstered by nature and the surety of Will's love, she battles to keep doing the next right thing to save herself and the things she treasures.