Disillusioned by the urban labor strikes of early 20th-century Oakland, California, Billy and Saxon Roberts flee the city to begin anew as ranchers in the idyllic Sonoma Valley. Their journey back to the land provides the backdrop for the novel’s exploration of a classic American theme—the promise of wide-open spaces—and echoes Jack London’s own journey as a rancher in the Sonoma Valley. The Valley of the Moon is a love story. A road novel. A study of American independence.