The transformation of Job

The evening stagecoach interrupts Gold City's long wait for better times. A boy steps into the faded California mining town, asking for Arthur Teale, the father who went west to seek a fortune. His mother has died after their trip across the country, leaving him to continue the search. While the townsmen discuss what they know, the hungry child falls asleep on a hotel doorstep. The scene places a vulnerable newcomer among people still living on memories of richer days.

Frederick Vining Fisher sets his novel among the ranches and pine-covered hills of the High Sierras. In a later church scene, Job responds to a sermon and Communion by committing his abilities to God and other people. His conversation with Jane and an apology from the Yellow Jacket Mine superintendent connect faith with affection, trust and work. The book offers readers a mountain community seen through personal responsibility, religious feeling and the hope of renewal.