In 1971, a property speculator named Harley Mann begins recording his life story onto a reel-to-reel machine. Reflecting on his childhood in the early 20th century, Harley recounts that after his father's sudden death, his family migrated down to Florida-mere to join a community of Shakers. Led by Elder John the colony devoted itself to labor, faith, and charity, rejecting all temptations that lay beyond the property.