The most famous story in this collection poses a question that remains urgent over a century later: what does it really mean to be great? In the shadow of New Hampshire's Great Stone Face, a rock formation bearing an uncanny resemblance to a human countenance, a prophecy holds sway over a small valley. A child named Ernest grows up watching the mountain's serene features, waiting for the noble figure the old tale promises. But when wealthy merchants, stern soldiers, and smooth-tongued politicians return to the valley each claiming to fulfill the ancient prediction, something feels deeply wrong. Through decades of patient labor and quiet wisdom, Ernest comes to understand what the prophecy truly meant - and what it means to live a good life. These tales explore the relationship between landscape and character, the gap between ambition and virtue, and the quiet revolution of a principled existence.
