Robert Jacobson Cole is a man who fled Scotland for America to practice medicine and whose tragedy in life is the deafness of his son Robert Jefferson Cole, also known as Shaman. Shamans life is filled with difficulties ranging from learning to speak, to fighting the prejudices of a society where physical differences matter. As Shaman struggles to achieve his identity, the Coles, are drawn into the conflict between the North and the South in this family saga of epic proportions.

About the Author:Noah Gordon is the author of Death Committee, Matters of Choice, The Physician, and Rabbi, which earned him the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for the best historical novel of 1992. He lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.