More than one thousand years in the future, the conservative borders of Pelbar society continue to crumble as the people of Pelbar conduct trade, form friendships, and intermarry with members of the tribes now settled peacefully around the citadel of Northwall. Not all agree with the changes, however, and long instead for the old times of conflict and rigid order. Igniting the tension is the discovery of a mysterious subterranean shelter, where the descendants of survivors of the long-ago nuclear war live. A young woman from the shelter and the shocking revelations she brings precipitate a crisis that will profoundly affect the futures of plainsmen and citadelfolk alike.

The Dome in the Forest is the third volume and one of the most exciting tales in the Pelbar Cycle, a classic series of seven postapocalyptic novels about the people of Pelbar.