In the late seventeenth century, two illiterate woodsmen--Rene Sel and Charles Duquet--make their way from Northern France to New France to seek a living. Bound to a 'seigneur', a feudal lord, for three years in exchange for land, they suffer extraordinary hardship, always in awe of the forest they are charged with clearing, sometimes brimming with dreams of its commercial potential. Rene marries an native healer, and they have children, mixing the blood of two cultures. Duquet travels the globe and back, starting a logging company that will prosper for generations. These are the stories of their children, grandchildren, and descendants as well as the descendants of their allies and foes as they travel to Europe, China, and New England either in quest of a livelihood or a fortune, or fleeing stunningly brutal conditions: accidents, pestilence, native attacks, or the revenge of rivals.
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