 In the course of doing nothing but what he loves to do, he begins to notice the scars that humanity has inflicted on the river and forests he loves.Gus also goes through the traumatic event when he is fishing and finds and must transport a dead fisherman to shore, and through this experience he is able to realize how wrong his "ideal schedule" really is.As he wrestles with what to do, he begins to relate with the people in his neighborhood.