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Rowan wants two things—to be a painter and to leave Iowa in her past.

Growing up in a single-parent house in a small Iowa town, Rowan knows it doesn't take much for a domino to tip. In a matter of weeks Rowan gets rejected from her dream college. Tip. Struggles to finish her high school painting portfolio. Tip. Breaks up with her boyfriend. Tip. Then, unexpectedly, her father dies. Crash.

Krista enjoyed a nomadic life and never planned on being a mother.

Passing through a small Iowa town, Krista fell in love with Daniel and was unsure whether she should stay or go. When she finds out she’s pregnant, Krista commits. Daniel’s mother never liked Krista and saw an opportunity to get Krista to leave. For fifteen years, Krista moved around the country and kept her word, staying out of Rowan’s life.

Rowan leans on Andrew, local tattoo artist and friend, to navigate the grief of her father’s passing, discovering herself as an artist, and finding a way out of Iowa.

When Krista received a letter about Daniel’s death, she is eager to make things right with Rowan.

Alli Parrett’s debut novel, On The Way To Chicago, asks whether the familial bond can traverse time as well as physical and emotional distance.