Four friends convert a shabby lakeside shack into a summer camp and spend vacation in outdoor pursuits that mix practical campcraft with episodic adventure. Their plans lead to mishaps and mysteries including a fire, prowlers, tramps, a storm, a hold-up, and an enigmatic older woman in the mountains. Chapters alternate lighthearted social moments and tense incidents that test resourcefulness, courage, and loyalty, and culminate in small romances and discoveries that resolve local puzzles while emphasizing self-reliance, companionship, and the pleasures of rural life.