Carnac's Folly, Volume 1.

A young, restless man appointed to run his family’s timber works struggles with labor unrest, managerial responsibility, and his own growing discontent with industrial life. He confronts strikes, legal and financial complications, and competing offers from rivals while forming close ties with a spirited young woman and a devoted, physically marked attendant. As inheritance questions, political ambitions, and secret meetings intensify, he vacillates between decisive action and the desire to leave the business. The narrative traces his moral choices and changing loyalties as allies and opponents shape the outcome and force a final determination about duty and personal freedom.