How could humans come to dominate Earth in just a few of the most recent moments of the planet's existence? How did they create and sustain order among their rapidly growing numbers? How did they meet the challenge of the unknown, the mysterious? Wunderlich answers by celebrating the creations of agriculture, fire management and medicine, lauding the creations of money, logic, and writing, and then noting the downsides of each of these creations. Finally, he describes ways by which humans abide the inexplicable.

The true story of a stone church built on wind-swept Dakota plains by Swedish migrants. The century plus structure still stands sturdy against the elements, a monument to skills and its builders and devotion of their descendants. Wind and stone are metaphors for the persistence and strength of homesteaders and structure alike. One reviewer calls the book ..".a wonderful insight into the interactions between geology and climate, history and culture, community and religion." And another, ..".a gem among church histories in the state, a model for others..."