Set in the sultry summer coal fields of rural Kentucky circa 1966, Bergmann's Fire: The Parable of the Hill and the Boulder is a poignant story of old world courtship struggling to overcome new world ideals. Sarah Hanover returns home from her enlightening freshman year at college to find a mysterious Viennese visitor bearing welcome and unwelcome gifts. The enigmatic stranger abruptly declares his intentions for Sarah. But as the strange European takes up a Herculean task to win her affections, mysteries within her own family history come to light that may ultimately sway Sarah's decision and redirect her heart.