In a remote desert valley, in relative seclusion from the outside world, at a college that includes a cattle and alfalfa operation, very little resembles normal college life. Before the sun rises the dairymen are bringing the cows into the barn and the student cook is stumbling towards the kitchen to make breakfast.
Classes begin shortly after breakfast and carry on throughout the morning.
Students meet in a professors house for a lesson on Ancient Greek, while others head off to a painting class in the Green Shed, a barn-like building that has been standing for over eighty years. The Botany students prepare to head out on one of their weekly field trips around the valley, while other students use time off to catch up on their reading, or take advantage of a crisp cool morning to go for a horseback ride. Lunchtime brings the community back together, and the buzz of conversation fills the Boarding House as discussions from the morning classes carry over and plans are made for the afternoon's labor. The afternoon finds students hard at work feeding the animals, cleaning the kitchen and Boarding House, working in the office, irrigating the fields, assisting the mechanic, cooking dinner, or working on a project as part of the General Labor crew. The sun is setting as the bell rings for dinner, and students return tired and happy after a good afternoon's work.