Was the death the result of murder ... or suicide ... or did someone else seize the opportunity to shift the blame onto the Lees? Jesus' memoir explores these, and other questions that arise as he recovers from comatic amnesia. While struggling to rediscover his past, he finds solace in the structure and strict values of the immigrant Texan ranching community. But when his visions and dreams connect to real-life experiences, Jesus must confront his identity conflicts while being true to the Tularosa family that saved him.

Against the backdrop of the New Mexico Territory's statehood tug-o-war and a ranching society clinging to its wild west ways, Mary Armstrong weaves a coming-of-age story that delves into the collision of cultures and the struggle for lawfulness and individualism. The White Sands takes you to the mystical duneland of the late 1880s, where legends of the lost and murdered rivaled the beauty of the glistening waves of sand. Murder, mayhem, court battles, and election and legislative clashes come to a head in this gripping tale of life on the wild frontier.