Chuck Radda

Flood Moon Chuck Radda

When Horace Greeley advised Americans to "Go West!" a century and a half ago, it's doubtful he envisioned someone like Calvin Hopper. Greeley's advice was full of promise and optimism; Hopper, who has lived and breathed the East all his life, wants only a place to escape.

He's fifty years old and adrift, trying to shed the remnants of a relationship that has collapsed for the second and final time. He envisions the West as a place to rebound, or maybe just disappear; and Sage, Montana, becomes the way station on a journey whose endpoint he hasn't really considered.

Hidden by both weather and topography, Sage exudes a sleepy appearance, but despite that and its smattering of old-west kitsch, it hides a multitude of secrets, many of which extend well beyond its borders. It turns out that other residents have arrived there seeking their own solitude; and one of them, Amy O'Leary, has endured personal tragedies that easily eclipse Hopper's. Even as the two of them grow closer, there remains some wall Cal cannot penetrate, and only when they both face grave danger do we learn the secrets she has struggled to keep.