Orphaned intersex woman Phreddie Smith marries Remy Delaroux, the wealthy Frenchman of her dreams, in her home city of New Orleans in 1866. When Phreddie confesses her secret to Remy on their wedding night, he tries to kill her in a fit of rage, only to wind up dead himself. Phreddie flees the wrath of Remy’s brother, Oscar, who wants her charged with murder. From New York City to the American West, Oscar and his men pursue Phreddie until she emerges in Newton, Kansas, under the protection of a gruff widower. Oscar rides in determined to stop at nothing to bring Phreddie to justice. Can the lies that surround Phreddie remain buried in the tall grasses of the plains, or will all be exposed like sun-bleached bones on the prairie? Note to readers: This novel contains depictions of interphobia (hostility toward intersex people) and racism toward Native Americans, including dehumanizing language reflective of mid-nineteenth-century America.
