James Fink is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times-Tribune, he has been sent on assignment to cover William Mulholland on his journey into the Owens Valley. A number of bombings have plagued the area causing significant damage to the aqueduct, and threatening the water supply to Los Angeles. The reporter soon finds himself at odds with the Water Department; their methods in acquiring water rights have forced the citizens of the valley to petition the governor. A plan had to be devised to protect the locals and keep order as hundreds of 'City Agents' scoured the valley, looking for collaborators, bombers and dynomite. After a series of unfortunate mishaps, Fink turns to a Shoshoni elder to try forging out a story of the early days, before the water war. Nikani provides a vivid portrayal of the past: ..".before all the trouble started, there was enough water for all the farms, there was no need to fight..." When Fink realizes the conflict has spilled over and into an already harsh existence of the Owens Valley Indians, he joins their struggle against prejudice, poverty and agency control. In the end, the catastrophic failure of the St. Francis Dam in 1928 created an infamous legacy reaped by the Los Angeles Water Department and its water acquisition out of the Owens Valley.