Nauvoo

"Do you think some of the children of Israel stayed behind when Moses parted the Red Sea?" asked 18-year-old John William Dutson. Contemplating the exodus of Latter-day Saints from their beloved city of Nauvoo, John is torn but does precisely that, stays behind as his family moves on. John's friendship with Emma, Joseph Smith's widow, deepens as he learns to survive in the abandoned city and wrestles with the question "What is Zion?" The unexpected arrival of pilgrims from France, known as Icarians, brings new life to Nauvoo. Captivated by their communal way of living, John is sure that he sees a glimpse of Zion. With a wife and a vision of a future that he wants to build, John bids adieu to Nauvoo, Emma, and Icaria and heads West to find his family. Based on actual events and the people who experienced them, Nauvoo: Beyond Adieu weaves fiction through the scattered bones that history has left behind.