The year is around 10,000 B.C. As his tribe approaches the Land Bridge, thirteen-year-old Ikash longs for a better life beyond his three brothers, struggling mother, and abusive father. He wants to become a shaman like his adored older cousin Ki-Ki, who regularly walks in the spirit world. But when Ki-Ki consents to teach him, Ikash is not prepared for what he will find there. In this epic sequel to The Long Guest , The Strange Land rejoins the tribe of Enmer, who a generation ago fled the collapse of the advanced civilization that had surrounded the Tower of Babel. Forced to re-invent their society, they have managed to survive the dark gifts of life, through their love, agonies, hope, and visions. But they will encounter even more horrors as they move through Beringia, the strange new land.