It's not long before blackmail and physical threats make him wonder if he'll ever see England again. Stein sets out to discover why some social differences that are submerged and unremarkable suddenly become the sources of division and violence. This is an X-ray of the culture wars, as fought in a small town. In this book, Mark Manning has given up a career as a prominent journalist at a major paper in Chicago to take over, as owner and publisher, the Dumont Daily Register in a small Wisconsin town. He lives there with his lover Neil Waite, and his nephew and ward, Thad Quatrian.
Life is quiet.
The biggest news in town is the forthcoming play by a local community group. Two teen boys are alternating in the lead role. There's Jason, the gregarious and egotistical athlete, and the other is Thad. During rehearsals, the two have words. Jason turns up dead on opening night.