Three bolts of lightning strike and destroy St. Michael's AME Church. During the cleanup, a flat-door cellar is discovered. Discovered are boxes of old photographs, journals, letters, and other loose papers. These detail the history of both the church and the small community of Traverse, Illinois. We learn of mail-order brides, early teachers and other professionals, and life on the wagon train. Each story is tied to someone or some even in the history of the town preparing to celebrate its centennial. We learn about life; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Of birth, life, and death.
