Karl Monrad was born in a small Oregon town and was raised by his father. He had several different jobs when he was high School. He flunked out college and he learned he suffered from a rare brain disorder that prevented him from reading material; however, he could understand the material when read to him. His father urged him to go to college and to get a good job; his disorder prevented him from finishing college or finding work. He started his own business of bartering mineral-rich lands and gradually became the owner of a successful cement company, partly due to patent pending being denied. His beautiful wife and college girlfriend, who hated each other, both helped him become the owner of the largest cement company in the country. In the end, he was disabled; and his girlfriend, protected his empire from wall street scavengers.