Clay County, set in 1944 in east Tennessee, is a story about four teenagers. Amid war, corruption, violence, greed, and growing into adulthood, each navigates through the challenges to escape a life that holds them in repression. Unknown to them, their guardian angel is an eighty-year-old preacher who lives in the woods with his dog Sampson. Preacher Monroe is a mystery. He drops tidbits of information along the way about his life and mission. From corruption and war, death is all around them. Each face peril as the death angel awaits their fate. The story is rich with local customs, era genre, superstition, faith, love, and hope. Each character comes alive with their own story, some good and some bad, but all intriguing. Cap copes with his mother's death, seeking his father's attention and the love of a girl who continually walks the pathways of his mind. With a soul abundant with narratives, he loses himself in fantasies. The girl accompanies him in every imagination, her character changing to fit the story. Lenny fights the behavior of an abusive father. He has accepted the responsibility to protect his mother and siblings. He struggles with faith in God, asking the same questions people have sought since the beginning of civilization. Placed upon him is a burden, so massive the strongest would struggle to carry. Dempi, the girl from Chicago, is trying to fit in an environment different from what she had known. From the fast-paced setting of the big city to the slow methodology of southern country living. She has grown to love the people and longs to be a part of their lives. Abby is feisty, stubborn, and breathtakingly beautiful. Abby's dark secret influences her attitude, decisions, and behaviors. She feels abandoned by God, misunderstood by her friends, and hides her feelings in the vault of her heart.