John Randt grew up in suburban Ohio, the only child of loving and capable parents. They gave him a childhood that was 'orderly". Only when he went away to college did he discover that not every family in America would write the date of purchase on fresh raw eggs so each could be used in the order it was bought. In the Randt household nothing was ever spoiled, lost, or out of place.

It was perhaps inevitable that he would become interested in people with 'messy" lives. At length this would take him on a trip of discovery that included a southern community in the process of losing its own particular character and the last remnants of its innocence. He found himself involved with a one hundred year old family mystery, met a race car driving female cousin and a cast of other unforgettable characters. He ultimately found more than he sought.