Book excerpt: A young, successful woman wants out - out of her hectic city life and into the quiet life on an alp in the Swiss mountains. Over three summers, Katharina Afflerbach learns what it means to lead a life determined by animals, physical labor and wind and weather: milking goats at half past five in the morning, bringing cattle to pasture, making cheese, mowing hay and felling trees. From sunrise to sunset there is work to do, everyone must be able to rely on each other, and work and life go hand in hand. While the pull of the mountains has Katharina firmly under control, she loses her little brother in a tragic accident three weeks before her third summer in the Alps. Between mountain and valley she seeks and finds comfort in nature, with the animals and the close, cordial alpine community. She comes back strengthened, with a new view of her life and her future. This is a book that encourages you to break new ground and discover exciting sides to yourself.