Summary

In Chapter 1: California Live Oak, Bill Blair came home from his job as a doctor in the military. He looked for a life more satisfying and less grisly than his one in the military. He had already decided to spend extra time in school to become a specialist in pediatrics. He thought this form of medical care would be more satisfying than his stint in the military. On a whim, he purchased a plot of just more than three acres of land in the California wilderness. This land included a huge oak tree. He imagined children there.

While getting his father’s watch repaired, Bill met Penny Greenway, a girl whom he imagined might be his mate for life. She had never really liked other people and had chosen to live inside herself. She did not even particularly care for the...