In this trilogy of connected stories and linked characters that collide with each other's lives over 600 years of America's history, a permanently damaged amnesiac from the Vietnam War, living as a hermit in the bluffs of the Buffalo National River in Arkansas, profoundly influences numerous people whose lives he never really touches. The first is Sarah Pingree, an artist who falls to her death from the bluffs. Her brother, Corey, an undercover wildlife agent from up-State New York, arrives to investigate the mysterious circumstances, and discovers Zach. Their connection is fleeting but compelling for both. Zach leaves his cave after years of solitude to hitchhike across the country in search of something he doesn't understand, while Corey ends up in the American Southwest searching for looters of Anasazi ruins. Then Zach's tragic death on the road becomes a national news story thanks to investigative reporter Amanda Cousins who is able to resurrect the final year of his life by contacting some of the people he met during his journey. Her connection with Corey Pingree becomes a pivotal event in both of their lives, giving a special meaning to the tragedy of Zach.