Imperialism. It has been the dominant and dominating political force on planet Earth for centuries—from the age of the great European empires to our own era of giant corporate takeovers. Its influence is felt in every area of our lives, from the global to the deeply personal. In this book, Chellis Glendinning charts the course of empire across countries and continents and on into individual minds, hearts, and bodies—and it all happens within the story of her horseback ride through the wilds of New Mexico with her friend the Indo-Hispano vaquero, Snowflake Martinez.

As their dreamlike journey unfolds, Chellis and Snowflake strive to understand the results of their ancestors' fatal encounter—hers, the "people of empire"; his, "the colonized"—weaving together current events with their childhood memories and the forces of history to reveal extent of imperialism's legacy— and to find a way "off the map," to a more hopeful future for us all.