Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual assault.

In a short prologue, three men examine a piece of metal fencing that has become embedded in a tree. Due to the presence of the metal, they cannot cut down the tree.

Kenneth Rattner hitchhikes on a “white and scorching” road through Tennessee (6). He steals small items from gas stations and asks for a lift to town.

Red Branch is a small community in the mountains of Tennessee. Marion Sylder is born in Red Branch in 1913, and after leaving school in 1929, he works a series of jobs “with hammer and saw” (8). He quits and leaves town, disappearing for five years.

The Green Fly Inn is a precariously constructed bar in Red Branch. The bar is perched on the side of a steep slope and occasionally rattles when the drinkers inside move too much. After five years away, Marion walks into the Green Fly and buys a round of drinks for the customers. He is dressed in a “resplendent” manner.

Kenneth hitchhikes and assaults people, stealing their money. He sustains injuries.

Marion drives a “little coupe” that becomes a familiar sight around Red Branch.