In the wake of her father’s declining law practice, Iversen’s paternal grandparents move to Arvada so her banker grandfather can help him. As a teenager, Iversen outgrows Tonka and acquires a new, larger horse named Sassy. Iversen enjoys riding her, but the available riding land has decreased due to new residential developments. 

According to an EPA study, area cattle test positive for high levels of radioactive elements. Rancher Marcus Church maintains his suit against the government and hires Howard Holme as his attorney. Holme recruits a physicist named Steven Chinn to research the risks of contracting cancer in the vicinity of Rocky Flats, and his findings indicate “a rise in cancer that can be attributed to Rocky Flats” (114). Holme’s pretrial statement blames poor waste management and aftermath of the 1957 fire for the presence of harmful contaminants. Church later seeks damages from the Energy Department for the decrease in his property value. 

The heavily guarded perimeter of Rocky Flats does not stop development outside the fence. Iversen’s classmate Randy Sullivan gets into a fight one day near Rocky Flats, and a guard commands the boys to leave. Iversen provides

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