The Hangtown series is the story of Zach Johnson's search for his soul. Zach struggles with morals, religion, sex, and love. In book two, Zach confronts the repressive forces of the Nativist Party; endeavors to understand why God allows suffering; and is dumbfounded by a series of dreams his love, Claire McCarthy, has. The adventure unfolds in Hangtown, a 1852 California mining town.