As this chronicle opens, the narrator and her husband have recently left their jobs as professors of literature and philosophy at a liberal arts college in the city and moved to the Missouri Ozarks, in an attempt to follow their shared lifelong dream of living in a rural setting, in harmony with the natural environment. The text is in the form of journal entries, following the couple as they navigate the joys and hazards of experiencing life on a hobby farm for the first year and a half, and through their introduction into a community of hardworking and knowledgeable individuals. Funny anecdotes, encounters with fascinating characters, moments of grateful reflection, and scenes of picturesque farm life come together to tell a story of two city dwellers who find their true selves as they make their home in the country.