Ye can’t beat Nature, didn’t ye say? As Eben and his half-brothers toil on their family farm, they dream of the future. Peter and Simeon are lured by California and the promise of gold, while Eben longs to have the farm all to himself. Any fantasies are on hold until the return of their patriarch Ephraim, who disappeared without a word two months ago. And when he does finally resurface, he is not alone. An unexpected companion instantly explodes both the status quo and their imagined futures.