This novel tells the story of a small-town, working-class life in the mid 1900's. The daughter of a meatpacking company millwright, Cheri Register tells about the event, which divides her small town of Albert Lea during time of depression. Albert Lea, Minnesota was an industrial town of only 13,545 people. Surrounding the area was cornfields, lakes, cattail marshes, knolls, and oak groves. .
Albert Lea still was in the 1950's when this story began. Cheri was an elementary student. Her school plans many field trips, which tend to be excursions in industrial technology. Cheri and her classmates visit places, which serve an entertainment and educational purpose. They have visited placed such as printing press, Coca-Cola, and egg hatching victories. Their next trip was different. Cheri and her class were to visit the Wilson & Co. meatpacking industry. This was where Cheri's father had worked since 1943. Not speaking much of his job Cheri didn't know much about her fathers work. This trip consisted of a parent's signature because of the scene it may bring to the youngsters. Each kid had the option not to participate in the activity that morning since once they entered there was no turning back. They describe the trip as very scenic and educational. For the rest of the day the kids talked to each other about the incredible views, which they encountered. Such as the hundreds of people who worked there and how the assembly lines for the animals just never ended, one after another after another.
Wilson & Co. was a gigantic industrial factory in which many of the mid-class working life men supported their families by. During this time the eight-hour working day laws were supported and workers did just that. An eight-hour day at Wilson & Co. itself was extremely demanding and tiresome to the workingman. Cheri's dad at this time was in a verbatim pattern of a workday, dinner, and falling asleep attempting to relaxing.