Cormac McCarthy's first novel, explores the nature of new versus old ways of life. It's a novel on nature. It deals primarily with three men: John Wesley, a young man coming of age; Marion Sylder, a bootlegger; and Uncle Ather, a hilarious, elderly man who refuses to take any crap from anyone. Its set in a small, remote community in rural Tennessee, telling the story of this young boy and the outlaw bootlegger who, unbeknownst to either of them, has killed the boy's father.