A story about life s challenges on the home front during WWII. The setting is Pleasant Pines, Tennessee, a small ridge community. The leading character is a philosophic gravedigger and deputy, Zack Hayes. For two years, mysterious deaths have plagued the ridge. Bootleggers cast murder and mayhem into the frustrating mix of wartime shortages and disorder.. There s a surprising conclusion to the murders and the place to share good news is Frierson s Store with men too old for the draft.