Spots 
Gordon Makimmon drives the stage from dusty Stenton into the Greenstream valley, acutely conscious of his worn clothes alongside Buckley Simmons's flashy attire. Father Merlier's stern presence and Lettice Hollidew's quiet dignity frame the journey into the mountains. Generations of pride and lost land leave Gordon hardened against the wealthier families of the county. He harbors a quiet resentment that fuels his stubborn defiance.
I → VII
Outwitted by Valentine Simmons and facing the loss of his ancestral home, Gordon treks twenty-eight miles over Cheap Mountain to the lawless boomtown of Sprucesap. Having lost his revolver along the trail, he enters the Steel Spud Hotel unarmed. There he joins a shady card game with the broad-shouldered Ottinger, a supple-handed dealer named Jake, and a gaudy woman named Em. He risks his remaining cash on a desperate gamble to save his homestead.
VIII → XVIII
Stripped of his land, Gordon attends his sister Clare's funeral and seeks out Lettice Hollidew after prayer meeting, only to be rejected by her father Pompey as a shiftless rascal. He flees to Stenton to blow his remaining capital on cheap liquor and city nightlife. Waking up penniless in a muddy alley with ruined clothes, he slinks back to the mountains in shame. His attempt to conquer the world through cash leaves him completely empty.
XIX → XXV
Repairing the minister's ice house brings Gordon into contact with Meta Beggs, a school-teacher overflowing with bitter disdain for mountain life. When Gordon finds old Pompey Hollidew lying dead in his front hallway, he realizes Lettice is now the sole heir to a vast fortune. He hurries out to the farm and tricks Lettice into an immediate elopement before the news of her father's death can reach her.
XXVI → IV
Trapped in a dull marriage, Gordon sneaks out to visit Meta Beggs on the hotel balcony, drawn to her cool detachment. He agrees to meet her at the South Fork camp meeting, an affair filled with wild religious fervor and violent outbursts. Surrounded by swamp air, singing crowds, and sudden gunshots, Gordon pursues an illicit connection to spite his own domestic monotony.
V → XI
Gordon discovers Valentine Simmons maneuvering to control valuable timber options for a promised railroad line through Greenstream. By forcing Simmons into a joint partnership, Gordon secures control of the county's timber rights. Meanwhile, his domestic life deteriorates as his sister Effie's family visits and Rutherford Berry warns him that marriage turns women sharp. Gordon contrasts his pregnant wife's fading beauty with Meta's lingering allure.
XII → XVII
Lettice confronts Gordon after finding the store box containing a pearl necklace intended for Meta Beggs. The stress causes Lettice to collapse into premature labor during a jarring carriage ride down the rocky mountain road. Both Lettice and her newborn child die, leaving Gordon crushed under the realization that his vanity killed his family. The tragic loss shatters his arrogance and strips money of its perceived power.
XVIII → VI
Haunted by his wife's death, Gordon rejects personal wealth and resolves to fight local land barons like Simmons and Cannon. He deeds land back to struggling farmers like Alexander Crandall and offers low-interest loans to save mountain families from foreclosures. Resuming life in his old home alongside his sister's family, Gordon turns his combative Scots-Irish heritage toward protecting the community from financial vultures.
VII → XVI
Rumors published in the Bugle turn the valley against Gordon, convincing the locals he hoarded timber options for personal gain. A furious mob gathers at his house and brutally kills his dog, General Jackson. Refusing to fight back, Gordon scatters the timber contracts in the dirt and accepts total ruin. With his fortune gone, he returns to driving the Greenstream stagecoach, finding peace in hard labor.
XVII → XXIV
A mountain man's reckless ambition and tragic marriage collapse into hard-won humility along isolated Appalachian roads.