From the acclaimed author of BLAME comes a daring novel of romantic crossroads --- and the high price of impossible love. It’s the early 1980s, and Reagan’s trickle-down fiscal policies are gaining traction in the national psyche. Cressida Hartley, a 28-year-old Ph.D. candidate in economics, has moved into her parents’ shabby vacation house in the Sierras, hoping to finish her dissertation about art in the marketplace. Instead of finding solitude, she finds herself immersed in an intriguing mountain community. She’s easily seduced by a burly lodge owner, and she finds part-time work through a local contractor. As her dissertation becomes less and less inspiring, Cress meets Quinn Morrow, a talented, handsome, married carpenter. Ignoring her family’s attempts to intervene, Cress becomes consumed by a precarious quest that will test her heart and soul.