What if your freedom to travel were taken away? After the death of his wife, Tildie, weary old dirt farmer Shadrack Smithers feels the need to take a road trip beyond the boundaries of his farm in the Surprise Valley of northeast California. He wants to return to the Ozarks, where he and Tildie had begun their family. Elan Groves, Shadrack's neighbor, wants to go along for the ride, and so does his teenage daughter Katie. Problem is, none of them have got a travel permit, and times have gotten weird. Government is fragmenting. Civil order is breaking down. Not until Shadrack makes it to his destination, do we learn the true purpose of his journey. Along the way, encounters with an overworked policeman and a rejuvenated preacher turn everything upside down. This is the story of Shadrack's quest for solace on a circular journey for redemption, and his deepening involvement in his home community.