The sequel to the well-received The Rain and The Fire and The Will of God, continues the Huck Finn–like adventures of Jack and Rodney, teenagers whose innocence is challenged by growing up. Rodney, who lives in a New York suburb and is spending the summer in Alabama with his friend, is responsible for the loss of a skiff belonging to Jack's family. The boys set out on a river journey, a quest for the runaway homemade boat. Although the skiff does not turn up, other things do and Rodney's introduction to the pleasure and pain of human love begins in a delightful way.