In a rugged mountain republic built on freedom, aging president Josef Kimmensen confronts the uneasy end of the world he helped create. As he moves through the decaying remnants of the old government with his chosen successor, Jem Bendix, he reflects on the hard-won ideals of self-rule, the sacrifices that shaped his life, and the memory of his wife Anna. But reports of burned-out homesteads in the northwest hint that the republic's independence is fraying under the pressure of feuds, fear, and rising violence. Kimmensen grows alarmed by men like Anse Messerschmidt and Salmaggi, who turn unrest into a call for armed retaliation, even as his own daughter Susanne defies him and allies herself with Messerschmidt. Faced with a chest pain, mortality, and the realization that a new generation no longer shares his instincts, Kimmensen decides to call an election, resign, and name Jem as his successor. Yet when he prepares to confront Messerschmidt publicly, he finds a quiet crowd dominated by young people, revealing a nation divided by age, memory, and competing visions of what freedom means. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
