Part I: Seeds, December 11, 1906 - May 15, 1939 Summary

Part I: Seeds, December 11, 1906 - May 15, 1939

Ross spends the first section of his novel laying the foundation for the modern "gun culture," through the stories of several characters, real and fictional. First, the reader is given the accounts of Ad Topperwine, a sharpshooter working for Winchester guns, testing a new semiautomatic rifle, designed by John Browning. Both men were gun enthusiasts and wholeheartedly supported the right of individuals to own whatever weapons they so chose.

As the setting moves forward in time, we are introduced to a fictional Lieutenant Cameron Wilcox who returns from World War I with a duffel bag full of weaponry that include treasures from the European war, including semi-automatic and fully automatic guns. As he confronts her own personal disasters during the Depression, he ultimately dies from wounds sustained...