Phillip Barnes, his brother Paul, and their best friend, Barry McAlister, each join the Central Pacific Railroad for different reasons, but they are all searching. Their terms in the military during the Vietnam War are finished, their love lives are in varying states of disrepair, and their futures are wide open. What follows for them is a railroad life and a set of incredibly unique destinies. The rails Phillip, Paul, and Barry choose to ride-or the rails that choose them-lead the three men in various directions, but their destinies intertwine for years as they wrestle with love, heartbreak, parenthood, marriage, survival, faith, and the elements of nature and manmade machine. The career they choose is as demanding, dangerous, and disruptive as any on the planet, but they strive to make it their own. Over time, they meet many exceptional, talented railroaders whose philosophies on life impact their own forever, for better or worse. Mark Twain said, "Experience is an author's most valuable asset; experience is the thing that puts the muscle and breath and the warm blood in the book he writes." Author Charles F. Mori writes from over thirty-five years on the railroad, living and working with men whose lives made truer, more pure stories than any seen in Hollywood.