A coming-of-age story narrated by Gus Orviston, a high school graduate and the oldest son in a fishing-crazed family.

Gus also goes through the traumatic event when he is fishing and finds and must transport a dead fisherman to shore, and through this experience he is able to realize how wrong his "ideal schedule" really is.

Gus continues to grow and mature, mirroring the path to adulthood many experience, until he meets a young fisherwoman, Eddy.

Although their relationship is unique, it is also a very true form of love that not only helps Gus to continue to grow into a man, but also teaches him to truly appreciate every aspect of his life.

[1] In 2002, Sierra Club Books released a 20th Anniversary Edition that includes a new afterword by the author describing Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks influence on him at the age of 16 and how this led him to a life of literature.