This is one more retelling of the brutal treatment of the Cherokee people who were displaced in winter l838 from their homes in the Smoky Mountains to the Indian Territory.
The protagonist in this story, Cherokee Rose, suffers with her people on the journey—popularly called the Trail of Tears—during which 4,000 Cherokees lose their lives. Her strong faith in Christ, having been converted by missionaries, helps her persevere, and she finds happiness after falling in love with an American lieutenant, the only white soldier in this story who is not a ruthless bully. No surprises here.