Donna R Wood

Prairie on Fire Donna R Wood

Devin Goes Along the Road, on the surface, is a simple man. He's not any lesser or greater than anyone else who lives in the reservation town of New Town, North Dakota. He's not the only veteran who walks the streets of New Town. But, he has a secret that he doesn't want anyone to know. It's a secret he brought home with him from Afghanistan. Sometimes, Devin behaves in odd ways, to the embarrassment of his girlfriend, Jennifer, and her mother, Doris. The shame Devin feels sometimes makes him think those who love him would be better off without him. Ronald Yellow Feather, Tribal Chairman of the MHA Nation has stomach problems. He didn't always have stomach problems. Not back in the day, when he and his best friend, Jason River, would ride wild and free through the hills of Mandaree on horseback. No, he didn't always have stomach problems until the oil companies came, bringing a whole new set of problems to the reservation. Chairman Yellow Feather, he just wants out. The stress is pushing him to the brink of destruction. Cindy Martin is a fireball of activity. She's loud. She's proud, and her passion for culture and tradition is often at odds with the world that has swallowed her whole. Left as a single mother of two children, Cindy combats the demons of addiction, greed and poverty that threaten her family and the tribe. Cindy lives every day on the borders of being strong for too long and insanity. John Big Bear is a quiet man of few words. He was born into a life that bears much responsibility. As a medicine man he walks a fine line between life and death of the mind, body and spirit. When the oil companies came, the line widened to a gray area for many, but not for John, who is tasked with being the voice of reason. Even if being the voice of reason comes between him and all those he holds close to his heart. These four individuals have lived in the same town for their entire lives, yet took very different paths. Where their paths meet, there is a fire burning out of control. In thirty-six hours their lives will explode into one common road filled with betrayal, lies and deceit. When the truth of all things is discovered, they will never be the same again.