Curtis chronicles the disappointment of a refined British war bride when she marries a New Brunswick woodsman, the terrible hold a youthful love affair has on a young man throughout his life, the need to belong for children of a youth home, the consequences of first-time passion for a girl and the boy who loves her, and the weight of responsibility burdening a lad who has a brief glimpse of what life in town could be like for him. Shimmering in each story is Curtis's love for the great river and the woods, for the bounties they provide and the hardships for those people tied to the backbreaking work required to make a living from them.