Willa Cather

Born into poverty in a small desert town in the American Midwest, Thea Kronborg is one of seven children. But Thea is exceptional, a fact recognized by a discerning few, including Ray Kennedy, who longs to marry her but whose fate it is to set her free. With her rugged will and pioneer spirit, Thea carves her way from Moonstone, Colorado to Chicago, from Dresden to New York, culminating in a triumphant debut at the Metropolitan Opera. Thea has become...

A scholarly professor in a Middle Western university is reluctant to move into a new, more comfortable house, despite the protestations of his wife and daughters. His life has changed too quickly for him to adjust.

In the eyes of the middle-aged men who visited the house of Captain Daniel Forrester at Sweet Water, Nebraska, whatever Mrs. Forrester chose to do was "lady-like."

These stories tell of the ways in which the American frontier transformed the strangers who came to this country into Americans.