Jonathan had managed to escape from the pirates on the great river of the west that a century later would be called The Columbia. It took all his strength to swim to shore and fall into the brush along the back, unconscious from exposure and exhaustion. Lily, a half British and half Chinook girl, found him there as she was carrying out her plan to escape, or die trying, from her Cayuse captors. Together the two flee from the Indians and pirates high into the Cascade Mountain Range with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Through difficulty and danger, they encounter God as they have never experienced Him before. And they come to grips with those things that bring true significance to life. These first adventures of Jonathan and Lily are recounted in David Young's riveting debut novel, IN THE WILDERNESS.

From physical and spiritual wrestling matches upon which their very lives depend to Secret dangers and lifelong hopes the adventures of Jonathan and Lily continue. Newly wed, they find their strength of character challenged as they escape the wilderness and establish themselves in the outskirts of civilization. Along with new characters who come into their lives Jonathan and Lily face difficult and impossible circumstances as they learn to deal with the dangers and challenges of life in the Oregon Territory.

Driven by exigent circumstances Jonathan and Lily must leave their homestead near Fort Vancouver. Seeking to establish a home in unfamiliar wilderness they find strength and meaning in the challenges of life and in the face of death. The adventure continues with this third novel in the series.