Pecos Bill and Sluefoot Sue watch their youngest daughter’s honeymoon train leave the station and realize they have never had a honeymoon themselves. They are a little surprised to encounter Edward S. O’Reilly selling his books, and to hear how writers can sometimes come up with odd interpretation of people’s lives and adventures. A chance encounter with a horse thief at a hot spring in the Northern California mountains changes their lives forever. Desperation takes them to the village of the People of the Crack, where Sue discovers the people’s startling forgotten lore and helps them reclaim their ancient gear and steam technology. A shaman claims only he knows the true identity of the Father of the People and can decide the fate of these strangers. Sue tries to mine the secrets that might set the People of the Crack free from an ancient evil while protecting the innocent child who seems to hold a key to making the People of the Crack remember who they are. But will they claim their true father or once more fall into the shaman’s secret power?