Andy

. With the rise of the Berlin Wall, 12-year-old Gerta finds her family divided overnight. She, her mother, and her brother, Fritz, live on the eastern side, controlled by the Soviets. Her father and middle brother, who had gone west in search of work, cannot return home. Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, to think forbidden thoughts of freedom, yet she can't help herself. She sees the East German soldiers with their guns trained on their own citizens; she, her family, her neighbors, and her friends are prisoners in their own city.

This is a military handbook for you, Dad…a how-to manual for rising up and leading your family. If you don't fight for your family, no one else will. When a soldier is in enemy territory, he is alert, focused, and purposeful about every move he makes with weapons ready. Only you stand between the enemy and your family, for God has given you the authority and the responsibility to stop this treacherous adversary from destroying your marriage and your children.

The Moody family moves from New Hampshire to a Colorado ranch. Experience the pleasures and perils of ranching in 20th Century America, through the eyes of a youngster.