The Rising

Harlan Fleming, a young teacher, takes a post in Cedarville after learning that the town's school will close unless someone agrees to teach there this year. He never planned to end up in such a remote place and does not expect to stay long. Still, something about the town draws him in. His closest surviving family member once walked into the surrounding hills and never returned, and the two of them have unresolved matters that would take a long time to untangle.

What Harlan feels on the day he steps off the train in Cedarville is harder to explain. The townspeople who are present that day press into his heart without being invited, just as he reaches out to them. It is as if everything in life has gathered at this one place and moment, and something momentous is about to unfold.