Set in Butala's beautifully realized prairie landscape, Country of the Heart introduces 40-year-old Iris, seemingly happily married to Barney, a rancher-turned-farmer; Jake, a widower who, despite his age, still radiates the power and passion of the legendary cowboy he once was; and Lannie, Barney's niece, the troubled young woman who has lived with Barney and Iris since her own mother died. A story of the transforming power of love and land as only Sharon Butala can tell, Country of the Heart is a welcome addition to the hugely successful Butala backlist, a novel -- because of its link to The Garden of Eden -- that will gain instant recognition with Butala's fans.