For untold generations, the Farrell, Shay and McGintuk families of Kentucky's Shay Mountain have existed as a society unto themselves, living by the same laws and rituals as their pagan fathers. But these fiercely insular clans are about to face the gravest threats they have ever known, not only from the outside world but from within their own ranks. Asa Farrell, a black sheep who dared leave the mountain in a vain attempt at a normal life, must now try to preserve the volatile community he tried so hard to escape.