RB Rough starts to romanticize about Tamarack after rescuing her from her boat; adrift, without power and headed for a waterfall. All havoc then ensues when her tow domineering sisters arrive; Shurlene and Medika. RB's two companions, talking Moreloafs, valiantly serve as his crew. The main source of entertainment for the residents of this quiet world 'Aqua Caverness' is a weekly boat race on the Cauldron River; a river that is one of a multitude of connected rivers on this planet that lacks large oceans. RB is cast over the falls and left for dead. He drifts downstream where he is rescued by a diminutive and loving race of beings called Worblers. They nurture RB back to health and help repair his boat. Along the way back he meets a wizened man named Sawmill Man who operates a saw mill on the river. RB explores a lost city and is attacked by a demon. RB's voyage home is filled with adventure and humor in this world of backwards/forwards technology.