Before World War I, Montana Detroit riverside town, home to Presbyterian pastor Leif Brent McCall even) family. While preaching for the people in the town, McCullian loves to read books, and prefers fly fishing in the beautiful Troit River. There are two boys in the McCallian family, the eldest son Norman is steady and restrained, and the younger son Paul is strong, stubborn, and unruly. They learned the skills of fishing from their father, as well as the principles of life.
In 1917, a war broke out, Norman () to join the US Forest Service, and Paul () made a pool lifeguard, the only constant is their love of fishing. Norman discovered that his younger brother gradually stopped fishing according to the beat taught by his father. He invented his own rhythm, and he was undoubtedly a fishing genius.
In the autumn of 1919, Norman went to school at Dammons College, thousands of miles away from home, for six years. At the college, he found that he was actually very good at teaching English literature, and he had the idea of being a professor. Paul went to college in his hometown and worked in the local newspaper after graduation.
In 1926, Norman returned to his hometown. Going fishing with his brother again, he finds that he will never catch up with his brother. At a prom, Norman met the beautiful Jessie, and the two soon fell in love. Paul became obsessed with gambling and owed debts. He often fought with people because of debts and became a frequent visitor of the police station. Norman received an offer from the University of Chicago, asking him to be a professor of English literature, and he plucked up the courage to propose to Jessie. Norman, his father and Paul, who were about to leave their hometown, came to the Troit River to fish again. Norman asked Paul to leave this place of right and wrong and go to Chicago with him. Paul refused. He was a fishing artist and he was unwilling to leave Montana. The day before Norman left for Chicago, Paul was killed by his enemies.
Norman returned to Montana in his twilight years and threw a fishing line with a trembling hand on the banks of the Troit River, the river flowing with the meaning of life
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