A family party and their attendants undertake a summer river journey into thick northern woods, with the narrative unfolding through a series of episodic outings, conversations, and small adventures. The prose dwells on sensory impressions of landscape and night, on social manners and generational contrasts, and on interactions between visitors and local guides. Domestic tensions, moments of humor, and concerns about health and memory surface amid leisurely travel, producing a reflective account of relationships and the natural world as the group moves by canoe through changing scenes.