"Pitch-perfect, the outstanding novel of the year so far." (Robert McCrum, Observer). "More wrenching and beautiful than anything I've read in a long time." (Aravind Adiga, Guardian Books of the Year). After signing up for the US army in the 1850s, barely seventeen, Thomas McNulty and his brother-in-arms, John Cole, fight in the Indian Wars and the Civil War. Having both fled terrible hardships, their days are now vivid and filled with wonder, despite the horrors they both see and are complicit in. But when a young Indian girl crosses their path, Thomas and John must decide on the best way of life for them all in the face of dangerous odds.