Wonderful lonesome. In a struggling Amish settlement on the harsh Colorado plain in 1914, Abbie Weaver fights for the life of the church she cherishes. But the loss the community feels most deeply is the lack of a minister. Visiting bishops have stopped coming--a mystery that demands explanation. Abbie's friend Willem is fiercely determined, and although Abbie loves Willem, his choices put a wedge between them. When Abbie discovers the root of the unspoken spiritual divide that runs through the settlement, she finds herself questioning her own father's faith. Will a collision of loves and values cost her Willem forever?

Meek and mild. Suddenly shun has become a serious word for Clara Kuhn. As 1917 approaches, her Amish church's aging bishop is coming down hard on members who dally in untraditional practices--like offering Sunday school for children--and Clara's gift for telling Bible stories to little ones collides with new mandates. The young Pennsylvania Amish woman had always moved freely over the state line to visit family in the more progressive Maryland district, but now those visits are coming under scrutiny by some members of Clara's church.

Brightest and best. Ella squeezed her eyes shut, flushes and chills taking her by turn. Gottes Wille. How could she know God's will? Was it even possible. Ella Hilty's deepest desire is to marry Gideon Wittmer and be a mother to his three children. But before the betrothal and ceremony take place, Ella's 1918 Ohio Amish community gets caught in a storm of controversy when English government authorities dictate that Amish children must attend consolidated public schools rather than their one-room schoolhouse.