In the wake of a horrific accident involving an Amish horse-and-buggy and an eighteen-wheeler, Professor Michael Branden, working with the Holmes County Sheriff's department, becomes suspicious about the true nature of the crash. His suspicions grow when the trustee of the dead man's estate turns up missing a few days later, and Branden knows he has more on his hands than a buggy crash on a sleepy country road. With Amish teenagers robbing buggies on dusty lanes, with land swindles involving out-of-town developers, with several dead and a bank official missing, Branden struggles to understand the connections that will eventually link all of the pieces together. Clouds Without Rain is a well-plotted story about the very core of the human condition, as illustrated by Amish thought and faith, and by their stewardship of the land they hold so sacred. Once again, P. L. Gaus provides compelling intrigue along with an insight into the heart of a culture making its way side by side with contemporary American life.