Civil War buffs and con men collide in this wickedly funny, Hiaasen-esque story of old-time relics and modern greed Dock Bass is a carpenter-turned-realtor in upstate New York. He has a social-climbing wife he doesn't love (or even like), a job he hates, and a rapidly crumbling sense of self-respect and self-worth. Like a lot of people, he yearns for a change. Like very few, he decides to leave his life behind, hit the road, and go looking for it.He finds it in Pennsylvania, of all places. Summoned to Gettysburg by a law firm, he learns that he's inherited an ancient house from a deceased relative whom he never knew existed. Renovating the place, Dock stumbles upon a treasure trove of Civil War memorabilia squirreled away in an old root cellar, including pictures and possibly even a recording of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg.