Cast of neighbors. Prologue. Taking orders. Section I: Planting. Seeds of discontent -- Paring back -- Lightening up -- Artfully answering nature -- The ram -- The missing refrigerator -- The sounds of silence. Section II: Growing. Quickening -- A church meeting -- A barn raising -- The dating game -- Meet the neighbors -- Secrets and politics -- Heatstroke -- Weighing the work. Section III: Harvesting. As the pumpkins turn -- After the fall: even farmers get the blues -- Birth -- Husbandry -- Pulling in the reins -- Closing time -- Outside, and the box. Epilogue: Recipe for a leisurely, laborsaving life.
Summary
A graduate working on a program to study the effects of technology on society describes his residence in a Mennonite-type community and recounts how his wife and he experienced health benefits and overall life satisfaction during their stay.