Three men working at the gravel pit hear a pistol shot just before daybreak. It is the sound of tenant farmer Lloyd Wilson’s murder. His uncle Fred Wilson testifies at the coroner’s inquest that he saw Lloyd going out to the cow barn but did not hear a shot. The housekeeper testifies that when Lloyd did not return for breakfast, she sent one of his sons to check on him and the son discovered Lloyd’s body.

In the present day, an unnamed narrator recalls that in the 1920s, Lincoln, Illinois—where the murder took place—seemed like a safe town where crime was rare. He quotes a regional history book that identifies approximately 50 fatal shootings in the county. The murder of Lloyd Wilson differs from the others because of a grisly detail: The victim’s ear was cut off and removed from the scene of the crime.

The narrator explains that he still remembers the murder 50 years later because he knew the murderer’s son. He also claims to be ashamed of something he did at the time and says that writing this book is his attempt to make amends.

Before telling of the murder, though, he needs to introduce his history.