The narrative framework takes place over a single day-July 4, 1892-in the fictional town of Waycross, Indiana. As 53-year-old small-town teacher and poet John Wickliff Shawnessy participates in Independence Day celebrations and reunites with childhood rivals, he experiences a series of vast flashbacks that recount his life. These include: his early life on the banks of the Shawmucky River and his deep romantic infatuation with his childhood sweetheart, Nell Gaither; his encounter with and marriage to Susanna Drake, a beautiful but emotionally unstable wealthy woman from the South whose profound mental decline ultimately threatens to destroy their bond; and his enlistment and traumatic combat experiences as a Union soldier defending the United States.
''Raintree County'' is a monumental 1,066-page epic historical novel widely hailed upon release as a contender for the "Great American Novel." It became a massive number-one bestseller that attempted to mythologize the 19th-century American experience through a complex, uniquely moving and fascinating, dreamlike narrative structure.
