What if someone could give you a glimpse into your father's life as a young man? What if you could be so immersed in his culture and experiences that you truly felt like you were there, and intimately knew him? This book began as just that - a gift for the author's Mother, who shared her many beloved ancestral stories in the hope that they'd one day be published. The result is a captivating glimpse into the life and times of Nikolai Tanasiuk, son of well-to-do Ukrainian landowners in the province of Bukovinia, Austria at the turn of the century. This engaging account follows Nikolai's thirst for adventure as he leaves scholastic aspirations, family obligations, and his one true love to escape from impending conscription laws during the brink of war in Austria. Nick's quest for adventure finds him a stow-away on a cargo freighter bound for Cape Horn and the developing land of Canada. Will he find the happiness he dreams of in this new land where the streets are paved in gold?