On Hell's Bottom Ranch, a section of land below the Front Range, there are women like Renny who prefer a «little Hell swirled with their Heaven» and men like Ben, her husband, who's «gotten used to smoothing over Renny's excesses.» There is a daughter who maybe plays it too safe and a daughter plagued by only «half-wanting» what life has to offer. The ranch has been the site of births and deaths of both cattle and children, as well as moments of amazing harmony and clear vision.
