Located less than 10 miles from Tennessee's state capital, the area now called Whites Creek is a rural historic district settled by Zachariah White during the late 18th century. Nestled between the Central Basin and the Highland Rim, Whites Creek is located on the Cumberland, or Shawnee, River Plateau, which is the largest wooded plateau in the world. Known for its resiliency to climate change and alluvial soil, the area boasts rich farmland comparable to the Mississippi Delta. It is surrounded by desolate hills and hollers that even drew Jesse James to the area with hopes of laying low and living off the land. Today, the frontier spirit still lives on throughout the region as residents typically embody a similar bold and independent ethos much like those who settled here long ago.

The good-hearted citizens of Mossy Creek, Georgia are in a mood to count their blessings. Maybe it's the influence of the new minister in town, who keeps his sense of humor while battling a stern church treasurer. Maybe it's the afterglow of Josie McClure's incredibly romantic wedding to the local "Bigfoot." Or maybe it's the new baby in Hank and Casey Blackshear's home. As autumn gilds the mountains, town gossip columnist Katie Bell, has persuaded Creekites to confess their joys, trouble, and gratitudes. As always, that includes a heapin' helping of laughter, wisdom and good-old-fashioned scandal.

In 1889, Rev. William Work Carithers went to the Kiowa, Comanche, Apache Reservation with two goals in mind. He wanted to bring Christianity to the Indians, and at the same time help them gain skills necessary to survive in the white culture that was about to engulf them. But he had only twelve years before white settlers arrived on the reservation, 30,000 in a single day. The effect on the Indian way of life was devastating. The narrative follows Carithers to the end of his life, when his once successful mission begins to falter, and he assesses just what has been accomplished.