The book is a collection of 8 separate stories tied together like branches on a tree. Each of the characters are connected to trees in some fashion and five of them ultimately participate in acts of eco-terrorism. Doug-fir, Mulberry, Watchman, Maple, and Maidenhair take their passion for saving the forests to the extreme and end up paying dearly. In addition, a troubled couple find comfort and peace in their overgrown property, a highly successful paraplegic programmer designs an alternate computer game to try to stop mankind form environmental suicide, and a botanist writer finds an audience to listen to the trees.
At the same time, the book is about the trees and looking at the world from their perspective. Powers teaches us about Chestnuts, Aspens, Oaks, Redwoods, Firs, Mulberries, Maples, Ginkgoes, and so many more that humans often fail to observe. "You can't see what you don't understand. But what you think you already understand, you'll fail to notice." He tells us that 1.5 billion years ago we evolved separately from trees but still retain 25% of their genes. Nonetheless in a fraction of the last second of the world's evolutionary clock we have destroyed nearly 80% of the world's forests.
It is a sobering story that makes you think about your place in the world.
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