In his fourth novel, Tim McLaurin plows the fertile ground of the poor, rural South. On their way to Canterbury, a group of errant pilgrims are actually an unlikely troupe: snake handler Jubal Lee, exotic dancer Gloria Peacock, and Cappy, a testy, old Vietnam war veteran. They're employed by Miss Darlene, owner of the House of Joy, a bar on the coast of North Carolina that serves up moonshine, catfish, and baked raccoon - plus Gloria Peacock's proud gyrations. But whatever union they've found is momentarily torn asunder by a tornado, leveling the House of Joy and leaving Miss Darlene fatally wounded. As the troupe heads toward Oregon, where Miss Darlene bought property sight unseen, they have to muster all of their resources and wit to battle prejudices and perversions they never encountered at home. With each new confrontation, past demons rise up, forcing our heroes to realize they can't run from the past forever. They must decide which holds the higher value: striking out for the territory or staying to mine the treasures of home.