Todd Henry

Tonga is now home to hundreds of deportees — permanent residents of New Zealand, Australia or the United States who committed serious crimes and did jailtime, then were put on a plane to start a new life in an unfamiliar culture. The lucky ones have family land, or a place to stay. But many start from scratch and without institutional support, old bad habits can kick in.

Set in the 1930s, a schoolteacher prone to visions and daydreams agrees to give a ride to a young cowboy whom she meets in a ghost town after getting lost in the desert.