Having recently left her homeless, nomadic life behind, Ruby adjusts to her new life as a “real” person in the unique town of Gunpowder, Kentucky. Although she now has a legal identity, the mystery of who she really is remains. Who is her mother? Who are her biological people? As Ruby continues to seek answers, happily awaiting her marriage to her beloved Derek, a dark secret from her past threatens to upend her new life and the future she is working so fervently to build. Ruby is used to navigating life with absolutely no idea what lies on the road ahead. But this is a different road.

Trapped in a homeless, nomadic life, teenage Ruby lands in yet another random town—Gunpowder, Kentucky. To the real world, Ruby does not exist. Undocumented, no last name, and recording her approximate age with slash marks on her forearm, Ruby survives only with what fits in her trusty backpack. She shelters in abandoned dwellings and outbuildings, and forages for edible weeds and wild plants. Yet, Ruby wants more than just to survive. She seeks a normal life and an identity. Her story captures the pursuit of one’s identity, the many struggles to find answers, and the value of second chances. Ruby finds those in Gunpowder. This novel depicts aspects of the human condition: being on the outside of a window looking in, separate, in the shadows, versus existing on the inside, enjoying the benefits of inclusion and belonging.