This book concluded the story of the Ebersol and Mast families, everything coming together and all secrets out in the open.
First and foremost, Leah and Jonas are finally married. As a matter of fact, by the end of the book they have twin boys and living at the Ebersol cottage. Abram and Lizzie are now in the Dawdi house. It was a long time that Jonas and Leah waited to say their vows...Jonas had to have a Proving for six months, being he went away to Ohio, away from the church he was baptized. Bishop Bontrager and it turns out Jonas’ father were trying to postpone the couple from ever getting married. But the Bishop dies in a carriage accident during a snowstorm and Leah stops the horse in Peter’s moving carriage while he’s passed out drunk so these events change everything. The Bishop that replaces Bontrager is more lenient. The feud between the Ebersols and Masts is mended when Peter wakes up with a hangover in the Ebersol cottage and realizes he could have killed Leah, who was able to stop his moving carriage with only a fractured rib.
Jake and Lydiann end their courtship when they find out they are actually Aunt and nephew. Lydiann is told this by Sadie and Leah. But she breaks the secret and tells Jake. Jake goes to Dr. Schwartz to tell him if this secret is true, and the doctor tells him of the events when he was born. When Peter and Fannie Mast hear the truth, that their baby boy was born dead and replaced with Sadie’s baby, Peter makes Jake leave the house and Jonas goes with him. They stay with Eli Yoder, a man from Ohio who had come with other men and boys to hopefully meet Lancaster Amish women. (There has been too much marriage of close relatives and babies being born with birth defects.) Eventually when Abram and Peter straighten out their misunderstandings, Peter apologizes to his sons and Jake moves back home. Peter also stops his problem with alcohol.
Hannah is pregnant and depressed. She is obsessed with the pow wow doctor and thinks the old woman helped her. But when she dies, Hannah goes to see her grandson who maybe can help her become a healer. Gid is against this, as he has been reading more of the Bible, along with Abram. Eventually Hannah sees the wrong in this type of witch craft and apologizes for going to see the “healers.” She has a baby girl, and eventually will have a boy.
Sadie is happy the news is out that she is Jake’s biological mother. Sadie and Jake meet and they come to know each other. Jake’s biological father, Derek Schwartz, is killed while in the military. Jake will see him, but at his funeral. The doctor and his wife open their lives to Jake. But eventually the doctor retires and him and his wife do missionary work in other countries. No charges are ever brought against the doctor for giving Fannie Mast Sadie’s baby. Sadie and Eli Yoder from Ohio marry and stay in Lancaster.
Lizzie tells Leah who her biological father is since Leah will be married and it’s time the secret is told to her. As I guessed, it’s Dr. Schwartz. He probably doesn’t even know Leah is his daughter since Lizzie was dressed as an Englisher with short hair during her wild rumschpringe days.
Throughout the book, the Ebersol’s are known to be very religious, going above and beyond what the Amish were known to believe. Mary Ruth and even Lydiann become Mennonites. Mary Ruth married Robert Schwartz who is a preacher. Lydiann will marry Carl Nolt, the adopted son of the Nolt’s, who took in Mary Ruth in their home. It’s strange how the Plain Amish people didn’t know Jesus except in a certain amount of scripture. But maybe eventually, at least in the Ebersol and their extended families, Jesus is known to be Lord and Savior.