When the original French settlers of Purgatoire, Pennsylvania, left, the remaining English speaking settlers spelled it the best they could, hence, the town of Picket Wire was named. These are the stories of its ancestors some two centuries after the town's naming. A motley crew thay are. From Tiny who runs her beauty shop and, after the curious death of her husband Wayne, his chain shop parlor to Sadie Louise who is over a hundred and a celebrated dame of the town. With so many others coming into the story as our narrator tells his tales. There's Mae-Venice and her messy divorce, Eustace Powder and his blackmail attempts, Ludy Ann who runs the brothel, Ethel Fromme, the self appointed Christian leader, Emil Mauchbauch with his sidewalk religion, and Junior Debs. Well there is only one Junior Debs. Let us all be thankful. These are the stories of their lives as they create their own typhoons of funny and sordid lives.