The story starts in the city of Vancouver with Maggie Vardoe, who escapes from her unhappy marriage into nature. Maggie has been planning her escape for some time by selling homemade fly fishing equipment to a local store in order to save money. When the time is right, she runs off in a taxi.

When Edward, Maggie’s husband, realizes that she is missing, he visits all their family and friends. This includes the Severances. The Severances live next door and are close friends of the Vardoes. Nell Severance stays in touch with Maggie through letters.

Maggie continues deeper into the woods and away from the city, where she puts her fishing skills into practice. She has flashbacks to her first marriage and childhood. Eventually Maggie ends up at Three Loon Lake and begins to work at Haldar Gunnarsen’s fishing lodge. Maggie gets entangled in the lives of the Gunnarsen family as she begins to renovate the lodge. Vera Gunnarsen becomes jealous and attempts suicide.

Nell injures herself in Vancouver and sends her revolver named Swamp Angel to Maggie. Nell asks Maggie to throw her revolver in the lake after she passes. Maggie rows out into the middle of the lake and throws the revolver in the air. She watches as it twists and turns, scares the fish, and settles at the bottom of the lake.