After witnessing his mother's rape and murder by Russian soldiers, Max and his father escape to New York. Young Max meets Sophie, a Polish girl forced to marry a local crime boss, and thus begins Max's ruthless climb to dominance of the New York underworld and Sophie's transformation into a strong woman who will allow no man determine her fate. In 1904 Czarist Russia, four-year-old Max witnesses the rape and murder of his mother by Russian soldiers. After the boy's father extracts terrible revenge, father and son escape to New York, a teeming melting pot of immigrants. Max meets a young Polish girl, Sophie, who grows into a stunningly beautiful young woman. The two fall in love but their plans are shattered when Sophie is forced to marry a local crime boss and, once again, Max must watch as the most important person in his life is taken from him. Thus begins Max's ruthless climb to dominance of the New York underworld and Sophie's transformation from a submissive girl to a strong woman who will allow no man determine her fate. AUTHOR: Kenneth Bromberg grew up in the beach cities of Southern California with a passion for tennis, American history, and literature. His first novel, American Dreams, is based upon stories told by his grandmother, who emigrated from a small Jewish village near Kiev in the first years of the 20th century.