The narrative follows Abner Pickett, an aging farmer fiercely devoted to his inherited four hundred-acre homestead and its well-tended family graveyard, and to preserving both intact for his son. His son Charlie, a popular young surveyor, marries and brings his wife home, but her sudden death leaves the household grieving and the infant grandson their lone consolation. When two rival railroad companies survey and stake competing routes through the adjoining gap, legal claims, community loyalties, and personal pride collide. The story examines land stewardship, familial duty, and the human consequences of progress on a rural community.