Louisa Stratford, Annie's pen pal for several years, lives in Denver, Colorado and is soon to marry Michael Berkeley. Louisa comes from a wealthy family of "new money" while Michael comes from "old money." Often Louisa thinks of her friend Annie and marvels at how Annie can be so content and at peace living the simple life; Louisa even longs for a simpler life for herself. Upon learning that Michael sees marrying her as no more than a business deal, the simple life beckons to her. Louisa goes to Paradise, Pennsylvania to stay with Annie's family for an extended period of time.

During this time, church member Esther's abusive husband, Zeke, complains to the church elders about Esther's new-found relationship with Jesus Christ. How odd that embracing the assurance of salvation through God's Son is so frowned upon. Her punishment is to be banned, separated from her own family while still living under the same roof. She will be under the ban until she repents of finding the joy of her dear Savior and Lord.

The Community is still unsettled by the abduction of little Isaac Hochstetler, and Annie must choose between her God-given artistic talent and the Amish Community -her very own people.

Beverly Lewis is one of my favorite authors! Her writing and character development are so real that I walk away from her books feeling as though I personally know these characters and find myself wondering about them for days after reading the last page of the book.

Her ability to write multiple story lines is amazing!  Because the many story lines and the enjoyable characters in her books will keep you engrossed in the story to the very last page, you will also anxiously await the next book in the series.

Her insight and knowledge of the Amish Culture is amazing.  I have found every book I have read by this author to be fantastic and educational regarding the Amish way of life. I personally love Beverly Lewis' books and highly recommend them to others.