Shane Stenlund has always resented life on the family farm located a few miles west of Twin Pines and a few miles east of the North Dakota border. With his parents and older sister, Danni, Shane lives on a six-hundred-acre farm in Minnesotas Red River Valley. To Shane, farm life is oppressive and boring. Instead of daily chores like picking eggs, feeding pigs, and milking cows, he dreams of life on the open range where he can ride his closest friend and companion, First Mate, his Shetland pony, or in the big city free from the onerous daily duties. His dissatisfaction is fueled by his perception of his older sister who, in his opinion, does nothing but fix her hair or smile at herself in the mirror. A Christmas vacation ski accident kick starts a series of events that intensifies Shanes rejection of farm life. Unsatisfactory grades during his senior year and a devastating conclusion to the prom fuel his decision to leave home. Shane seeks refuge in the big city, ironically in his sisters Minneapolis condo. With dismay, he discovers life in Minneapolis doesnt mesh with his earlier vision of the freedom the city would allow. He begins to change when he meets Max Hawkins and Alisha Sanders, both homeless teens, and Nick Karpin, a local entrepreneur.
Shane Stenlund has always resented life on the family farm located a few miles west of Twin Pines and a few miles east of the North Dakota border. With his parents and older sister, Danni, Shane lives on a six-hundred-acre farm in Minnesotas Red River Valley. To Shane, farm life is oppressive and boring. Instead of daily chores like picking eggs, feeding pigs, and milking cows, he dreams of life on the open range where he can ride his closest friend and companion, First Mate, his Shetland pony, or in the big city free from the onerous daily duties. His dissatisfaction is fueled by his perception of his older sister who, in his opinion, does nothing but fix her hair or smile at herself in the mirror. A Christmas vacation ski accident kick starts a series of events that intensifies Shanes rejection of farm life. Unsatisfactory grades during his senior year and a devastating conclusion to the prom fuel his decision to leave home. Shane seeks refuge in the big city, ironically in his sisters Minneapolis condo. With dismay, he discovers life in Minneapolis doesnt mesh with his earlier vision of the freedom the city would allow. He begins to change when he meets Max Hawkins and Alisha Sanders, both homeless teens, and Nick Karpin, a local entrepreneur.
Clay Pennell delights in, at last, riding the famous RAGBRAI, Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, a goal achieved. Since childhood, cycling assumed an important place in Clay's life, both as recreation and conditioning. In addition, it was on his bike that he sifted through any issues that he confronted. At the conclusion of his ride across Iowa, Clay left more in the small Iowa town of Packwood than just memories. However, his life went on with only fleeting moments of reflection on that night in Packwood's Friendship Park. Ten years later Clay faces a serious interruption in a life that has included a successful career in the cycling world and a successful marriage to a beautiful executive in a thriving electronics firm located in suburban Minneapolis. An accident on his bike has clouded his future as a cyclist, confronted him with the need to discover just who was responsible for his potentially fatal encounter with a white pickup, and added mistrust to his marriage. Ultimately, Clay confronts a crisis that extends far beyond mere cycling. His decision could have a profound influence on a child's life.
Justin Starling has taught high school English for ten years in the northern Minnesota city of Twin Pines. His experience has convinced him that students in the Twin Pines High School are deficient in writing skill. He searches for ways to combat the deficiency. Part of that search results in his assuming the chairmanship of the teachers negotiating committee. As chairman, Justin leads a campaign to secure improved conditions for learning through the negotiating process. That campaign places him in opposition to members of the Twin Pines School Board who believe that teachers will sacrifice anything for a simple increase in salary. Connie Shetland, school board member with ambitions for higher political office, has determined that a successful bargaining session with the teachers will usher in opportunities to nourish her ambitions. However, Justin refuses to surrender to her demands and faces Connies relentless battle to secure, on her terms, a bargain with the teachers union. He also discovers that as chairman of the teachers negotiating committee, he faces much more than he bargained for in accepting the position.
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