Eight-man football has a stronghold in the small towns of northeastern Montana. In Kursland, in 1959, a mysterious man becomes the coach, and the members of the team will carry his lessons beyond their playing days. One member of the team ultimately becomes a teacher and football coach at Kursland and brings into his life the influence of a Native American, an Amish friend, a stoical science teacher, and an alluring female math teacher from Sweden. The setting reflects the lasting calm of small town living, the character of the people, and the enduring tranquility of the natural world.
