A boy's search for truth and what it means to be a man. Kansas Territory, 1859 Ambrose Pierce has been doing a man's work in his father's blacksmith shop since he was ten. At fifteen, he is tired of being seen as a boy. As he struggles toward manhood, his new stepmother's lies about inappropriate actions toward her result in Ambrose being beaten and disowned by his father. While recovering from his injuries, Ambrose overhears a brief mention of something scandalous in his stepmother's past. With little beyond a place, New York City, and a name, Gerald Ward, Ambrose and half-sister Cordelia travel across country in search of the truth. Ambrose hopes the truth will free his father from his stepmother's influence and they can be father and son again. Before embarking on his journey, Ambrose visits his mother's grave to say goodbye. Throughout his travels, he consults the book of Aesop's fables she made for him, remembering her love and being guided by the life lessons she taught him. Hiram's Boy is the third book in the Pierce Family Saga series. Visit piercefamilysaga.com for updates on book four, a novel set during the Civil War.