Setting: The Ozarks, Arkansas, July 1923 The state of Arkansas is considering the fitness of a large wilderness area in and around the Buffalo River for state parkhood. Among the many institutions, organizations, and interest groups that the state government is consulting, the University of Arkansas is one of them. Since they have been asked to submit a report to the state legislature, the university would like to send a contingent of investigators (professors, students, and friends) to the area to collect information for inclusion in the report. It will be a pleasant break from the stresses of work on campus, and investigators are excited to get out into the peaceful woodlands of the Ozarks. It is considered a cushy assignment, and there is no reason at all to suspect an isolated backwoods horror experience replete with nasty things in the woods and terrifying run-ins with the culturally isolated locals. -From Publisher Blurb