A forbidden love.
An impossible dream.
And the daring venture to open America.
The year is 1810. For decades men have dreamt of reaching west of the Hudson - of unlocking the untold riches of America's heartland. Yet these visionaries lacked the necessary skill, willpower, and political might.
Enter: DeWitt Clinton, mayor of New York City.
Ignoring naysayers and cynics, Clinton is determined to pierce the wilderness and construct the glorious, sprawling Erie Canal. But for this, he needs support from the highest echelons of New York society. And there is only one woman with the talent and connections for that job.
Eleanora Livingston Van Rensselaer, an aristocratic widow, rules a vast Hudson Valley estate, but her hold on wealth and power will vanish if a dark secret is revealed. Clinton enlists Eleanora's charm and intelligence to fight strong opposition from Martin Van Buren. When she encounters Daniel Hedges, dashing ship captain with frontier ingenuity, she knows that he is the key to the massive Erie project. His skills and her social savvy make for an ideal pairing - if they can fight the powerful feelings growing between them.
But as America plunges into the war of 1812, they could lose all that they have built.
From America's stunning naval victory on Lake Erie to the British invasion of Washington, D.C., Daniel and Eleanora persevere through tragedy and deep personal loss. Martin Van Buren plots to sabotage Clinton and expose Eleanora's secret, but they won't stop until they make their colossal dream a reality.
And somewhere along the way, they might just find a love that changes them, and America, forever.
