CRUCE is set in Spokane, Washington during the summer of 1967. Bill Roberts, just graduated from Gonzaga University, has committed to enter the Jesuit Religious Order at the end of August, and returns to his summer job at the Kaiser Aluminum Mead Works smelter to pay off his college loan. Soon, he meets alluring Barb Scott, who introduces him to pleasures he's never imagined; now he must wrestle with important life decisions. Should he keep his commitment to enter the Jesuit Novitiate and honor his mom's dream that he become a priest? Should he keep his secure job at Kaiser and continue his relationship with Barb? Should he heed the advice of the "lifers" at the smelter to use his college education rather than get trapped at the plant like they did? Which choice will lead to lasting happiness?