Jennifer Haigh returns to the vividly imagined world of Bakerton, Pennsylvania, a coal-mining town that has been rocked by decades of painful transition. From its heyday during two world wars through its slow decline, Bakerton is a town that refuses to give up gracefully, binding succeeding generations to the place that made them. With a revolving cast of characters, these stories explore how our roots --- the families and places in which we are raised --- shape the people we eventually become.