This novel blends historical fact and imaginative fiction to tell the dramatic life story of Patrick O’Donnell, the Irishman hanged in 1883 for killing informer James Carey. Through a series of fictional prison letters and historical notes, the book follows O’Donnell’s journey from famine-stricken Ireland to North America, through hardship, migration, and encounters with war and injustice. It paints a vivid portrait of a man shaped by poverty, exile, and rebellion, exploring themes of identity, justice, and the blurred lines between hero and criminal.