An unaccented chronicle of growing storm signals as the changing times are reflected in the life of Mary Perrault and her children. A sturdy, wholesome, intelligent Scotswoman immigrated to America and settled in California, Mary and her husband give their family a respectable but not luxurious life, make their way with patience and endurance. As the children grew up and values shift, Mary feels the world, by then in this war, has changed completely. Her daughter Melanie presents problems in her beaux, in her choice of jobs, the boys are threatened by violence on the outside, and Mary herself is unable to hold her standard of neighborliness and friendship. Simple, honest annals, adequately recorded.