The main character of Leo Haber's debut novel grows to sexual and social awareness amid old-world Yiddish-speaking rabbis, new-world mobsters, Jewish non-believers, musicians, ballplayers, and new waves of immigrants. The novel teems with unforgettable characters who grapple with traditional values and the cultural enticements of their new goldene medine (new land). The problem of Jewish survival in a free society informs every aspect of the novel, with the ancient law of the red heifer serving as the central metaphor.