The Bargain – A Novel

It's 1971 and nineteen-year-old Betsie Troyer's life has been governed by the predictable patterns of her Amish community. Suddenly, the life that she has grown to love is falling apart. Her parents have secretly fled the community and she and her sister could be shunned if anyone finds out. To make matters worse, Betsie has already promised to board with an Englisher family to learn a trade. That means living with a hippie, learning the ways of the world, and putting her good reputation at risk -- may the good Lord forgive her. From war and miniskirts to pot parties and police brutality, the Englisher world is more confusing than Betsie ever imagined. She just wants to go home and start her life with handsome Charley Yoder in the place she understands. When she's in Plain City with him, things are cut-and-dried--but now that she knows the hopes and heartaches of the Sullivan family, nothing is so simple.