In this finely wrought portrait of Western American life, Ron Carlson takes readers to the small town of Oakpine, Wyoming, and into the lives of four men trying to make peace with who they are in the world. In high school, these men were in a band. One of them, Jimmy, left Oakpine for New York City after the tragic death of his brother. A successful novelist, he has returned 30 years later, in 1999 - because he is dying. With Carlson's characteristic grace, readers learn what has become of these friends and the different directions of their lives.