Detroit in the 1920s proved to be the Paris of the West for many—including Catherine McIntosh and Robert Sage. These two law school students are as passionate about each other as they are their dreams.

From a poor family in the neighborhood of Corktown, Catherine learned early on, the necessity of being resilient. She becomes one of the first women in Detroit to obtain a law degree. Bob, the 'battling barrister,' boxes in order to pay for law school. Despite his gruff and tough-boy personality, he is a friend to all: judges, cops, and even a couple members of the notorious Purple Gang. The couple becomes legendary in legal circles for their commitment to social justice causes—as well as notorious in the local speakeasies and dance halls.

At first, their optimism seems boundless, as it had for many following an era of trauma and challenges that included the 1918 flu pandemic. It isn't long before their passionate courtship turns into a tempestuous marriage. Then the Great Depression hits and their lives are forever changed.

Susan Sage is a fiction writer and poet. Born and raised in Detroit, she received an English degree from Wayne State University. An educator for twenty-three years, she wore many hats: an adult education teacher, educational coordinator, as well as an academic interventionist at both the elementary and secondary levels. Susan has published two other novels: Insominy (2010) and A Mentor and Her Muse (2017). Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in many journals, including: Five on the Fifth, Arlington Literary Journal, Illuminations, Twisted Vines Literary Journal, The Birds We Piled Loosely, Referential Magazine, Storyacious, E.T.A. Literary Journal, Digital Papercut, and Black Denim Lit. At present, she lives in Flushing, Michigan, with her husband and two cats.