"Gather at the River," a fast-paced adventure, is set in the thick pine forests and cypress swamps of southern Alabama in 1963. Eighteen-year-old Gayle Hyatt lives with his alcoholic father and reclusive grandfather on a farm miles away from any paved road or neighbor. Their lifestyle is a half century behind the rest of America. Without telephone, electricity, or plumbing, they live off the land as pioneers, bitterly opposed to change. Gayle is content with this backwoods existence, until a chance encounter with a panther pulls him into a chain of events that would change his life. The entire family gets caught up in Gayle's quest to rescue a tortured teenage girl from the clutches of a sadistic rapist and murderer. Their only chance of escape is on foot across twenty miles of almost impenetrable wilderness. Gayle's father, Kyle, must wrestle with his haunting past and his alcoholism to face a vicious killer and protect his son. But Kyle's motives are darkened by hate and revenge, and his racist attitudes cause friction between himself and his family. He would rather use the girl as bait to trap the man he hates than to save her life. Four days of conflict end in an exciting climax, turning Gayle's world upside down.