The story begins with M.C. setting off at dawn to check his rabbit traps. He contemplates the problem of how to get his family to leave the mountain and is unhappy about having to leave. The spoil heap threatens disaster, however, and he is unable to ignore it. He hopes that the Dude, a traveling anthropologist who is taping mountain songs, will take a recording of his mother's voice to a record company and make Banina a star. Then the family will move to the city before the spoil heap falls.

M.C. is responsible for watching over his siblings when his parents are at work. He cooks for them and often provides meat for the family by hunting and fishing. In many ways, M.C. is the most pragmatic member of the family. He is the only one who fully understands the...