John Steinbeck · 1952 · overland

John Steinbeck's 1952 saga. Adam Trask leaves a Connecticut farm - by way of the western frontier and a stint in the army - to settle in California's Salinas Valley, where he raises two sons in the long shadow of the Cain and Abel story. Across generations, from King City to Monterey, the Trask and Hamilton families wrestle with inheritance, betrayal, and the freedom to choose good over evil.

1. 1
   Connecticut (Trask farm)

   Adam grows up on his father Cyrus's farm under a harsh, soldierly discipline.

2. 2
   The western frontier

   Pushed into the cavalry, Adam spends years on the frontier in the Indian Wars.

3. 3
   The South

   Discharged and adrift, Adam drifts south and is broken on a brutal chain gang.

4. 4
   Connecticut (return)

   He returns home to his brother Charles and marries the cold, dangerous Cathy.

5. 5
   King City, Salinas Valley

   Adam moves west and buys land in the Salinas Valley - the Eden of his dreams.

6. 6
   Salinas

   In Salinas, Cathy becomes the madam Kate while the twins Cal and Aron grow up.

7. 7
   Monterey

   Monterey, the Pacific edge of the valley world where the Trask saga comes to rest.