Dopo aver trascorso due decenni in Inghilterra, Bill Bryson torna negli Stati Uniti, dove decide che il modo migliore per connettersi con la sua terra d'origine è quello di percorrere il sentiero degli Appalachi con uno dei suoi più vecchi amici.

Close up we see pistons move up and down or side to side. Pendulums sway, the small parts of machinery move. Gears drive larger wheels. Gears within gears spin. Shafts turn some mechanism that is out of sight. Screws revolve and move other gears; a bit rotates. More subtle mechanisms move other mechanical parts for unknown purposes. Weights rise and fall. The movements, underscored by sound, are rhythmic. Circles, squares, rods, and teeth are in constant and sometimes asymmetrical motion. These human-made mechanical bits seem benign and reassuring.