In New Hampshire in 1777, Dick Dudgeon's father dies. Called back home to the unhappy family he revolted against years ago, Dick finds he's been named heir, much to the horror of his religious mother. To complicate matters, the British have arrived.

The Kid doesn't know where her parents are. They left with a promise to come back months ago, and now their seventeen-year-old daughter is stranded on Swan Island. Swan isn't just any island; it is home to an eccentric old age separatist community who have shunned life on the mainland for a haven which is rapidly sinking into the ocean. The Kid's arrival threatens to burst the idyllic bubble that the elderly residents have so carefully constructed...

Doug and his son set out on a backpacking trip through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. But when reports of social collapse reach the ranger station, Doug withdraws even further into the backcountry. The alpine winter presents its own dangers, as father and son must endure the elements, the solitude, and the ever-present threat of outsiders.