Clark's classic novel is a compelling tale of four men who fear a marauding mountain lion but swear to conquer it. It is also a story of violent human emotions--love and hate, hope and despair--and of the perpetual conflict between good and evil.

This book is American in all its implications - big, full of beauty and of hope. It is the record of an American boy's torments and thrills, his slow maturing, his inhibitions, his aspirations. It is a story of adolescent love and of creative activity in America.