In this beautifully written and engaging story, we follow as Katz – a classic product of the baby boom-generation, whose career is taking an uneasy turn, whose wife has a demanding career of her own, and whose daughter is about to leave home for college – finds a way to redefine himself and lend meaning to his life. For him, it comes through an unlikely and uniquely American mix of finding and restoring a broken-down old shack on a mountaintop; in reading the wisdom of Thomas Merton for guidance; in helping a friend prepare for fatherhood; in learning to appreciate nature and solitude; and in using that solitude for inspiration and achievement.