Part 1 Summary

This novel is the debut novel by writer Hillary Jordan.

Jamie. Jamie and his brother Henry are digging a grave to bury their father in while there is a break in the weather. The ground is so soaked with rain that they decide they must dig it at least seven feet deep so the body does not wash up with the next storm. When they are done, they move the body into a crudely made coffin and prepare for the burial.

Laura. Laura thinks back to the beginning of the story. She begins with her thirtieth birthday, the day she resolved herself to the idea that she would never get married, never have a family of her own. It was shortly after this day that Laura met Henry McAllan, her brother's boss with the Army Corps of Engineers. Teddy brought Henry to dinner...