It combines two disparate literary forms: a self-congratulatory travel brochure published by an unnamed city's Chamber of Commerce, and a news report about the murderous killing spree of a so-called "viaduct killer."
An omniscient narrator moves through a seemingly idyllic Midwestern town relating the often dark and violent histories of various sociological groups which populate the metropolis.
In an indictment on small-town life, he points out the city's arrogant insularity and refusal to acknowledge the darker elements of its past.
Feral children, organized into warring tribes after abandonment by social services, live in ramshackle treehouse-like structures constructed from garbage and prey on tourists.
The evidence brought forth about each group could point to any one as the breeding ground for the much sought-after "viaduct killer," but the culprit's cultural identity remains unresolved.