For nearly a century the MacDaniel family has controlled the economy of a small city, Cassawago Falls NY. They are a bickering group who barely tolerate one another. Many of them have moved away, but still retain shares in the businesses, a carpet factory and a woolen mill. The two owners who still live in "The Falls" want to keep it there while others scheme to sell it to a large conglomerate knowing it will move the businesses from the town. Against this background there is unbridled greed, marital infidelity, a violent strike, and the trial of the company's president on trumped up charges of murder. It is also a coming of age story about a spoiled heiress who grows through tragedy to become a major force in the community
