The book is a novel which centers around a sawmill in the state of Colorado during the summer of 1973. It focuses on the local characters of a small town and the concern that they have over the vulnerability of the local sawmill which supports the economy and, along with ranching, is one of the centers of social life. The original mill burned down leaving doubt that it was an accident but, with the support of a group of WWII veterans from the town's VFW organization, a young man working at the mill determines what did occur and along the way introduces the character of both the town and America to the reader.