A Far Country, Daniel Mason's long-awaited second novel, is set in an unnamed part of South America, where 14-year-old Isabel leaves her drought-stricken rural home for an urban slum. She arrives in 'the settlements', expecting to be reunited with her much-loved older brother, Isaias, only to find that he has disappeared. Isabel spends her days caring for her cousin's baby, dealing with the confusing pressures of adolescence. Though she is still a child, she must face the responsibilities of adulthood in an alien and frightening environment. Haunted by Isaias's absence, she becomes obsessed with finding him.