The novella opens with Norman explaining the primary ethos of his family: fly fishing as a spiritual exercise. As Norman describes his childhood in the beautiful wilds of western Montana, he defines the spiritual philosophy imparted to him and his younger brother, Paul, by their father, Rev. Maclean, a Scottish-Canadian Presbyterian minister. Younger by three years, Paul achieves success in fly fishing that surpasses both Norman’s and their father’s. Rev. Maclean’s spirituality relies upon the oneness of nature with God’s grace. Accordingly, Norman and Paul associate grace with the act of fly fishing.

Norman begins working for the United States Forest Service when he is fifteen years old. In contrast, Paul begins gambling at a very young age, and by his early twenties, he is playing in all the big money poker games. He also begins drinking heavily. He works as a reporter for a local Montana newspaper in Helena. Both men consider themselves extremely tough and willing to fight if necessary. Both men believe in the value of getting in the first punch.

Norman describes the closeness of his family, the four of them forming an unbreakable unit. He explains that he got in one fight, and only one, with Paul.