Young Beau Hartley and his family live on wooded land that has been in their family for generations. Andy, his older brother, is being targeted as a timber thief by a new sheriff, though the Hartley's own timber enough of their own. The Morphew boys torment Beau about this, and it is only when Andy disappears after pursuing a truck load of stolen logs and discovers the real thieves that danger becomes terribly real. The Morphews set fire to the woods, and Beau and his sister's fiance are injured while fighting the blaze. The book contains much local color, and the deep woods come to life in its pages.