A former slave who became a cowboy on the expanses of the American West. Tall, silent, and incredibly strong, he is accustomed to listening more than speaking and to judging people by their deeds rather than their words. Beneath his calm lies years of loss, loneliness, and a life in which too many of those close to him were taken away. Elias expects no kindness from the world and long ago stopped believing that he could ever become truly important to anyone. Yet despite this, a quiet hope still lives in his heart — the hope of one day finding what he never had: a home, a family, and a person who will stay by his side.