The storyteller is Uncle David. He is indeterminately old, having immigrated from Norway many years before. All his life he has farmed; he gladly accepts the covenant that earning a livelihood from the earth is "work on work on work." Like all farmers, he knows the subtle workings of land, animals, crops, and equipment.

He has a few possessions, a Bible and four books in Norwegian that he reads privately for an hour each night in the winter room. He comes to life when the moment arrives in the rhythm of the evening for him to tell tales. Often he tells the same stories because they define the nature of life and love.

His adult listeners are like him. Nels, a fellow bachelor and immigrant, is a hardworking, taciturn steward of the farm. Nels is content to sit and listen to Uncle David's stories; he is...