A nameless writer has come to Dunnet Landing, a small town on the coast of Maine, for the summer in order to finish her manuscript.

Compared to the hectic pace of the city she's left behind, she finds herself absorbed in the slow rhythms of her new daily life. Her observations of the residents of Dunnet Landing their loves, their fights, their occupation with sky and sea and land, their tall tales, and quiet secrets comprise The Country of the Pointed Firs. It is a novel seemingly made from the very fabric of community. Jewett's beautiful, delicate descriptions and her wonderfully natural dialogue bring the whole town and its many inhabitants to life.