This collection of excerpts from Chuck Logan's novel "After the Rain" introduces a tense and complex narrative involving military personnel, smugglers, and a potential terrorist threat in rural North Dakota. The story follows Nina Pryce, a soldier on a covert mission, and Phil Broker, her estranged husband and former military man, who arrives seeking their daughter, Kit. Their paths intertwine with Ace Shuster, a local bar owner and former convict, and his associates, as they all become entangled in a plot involving a missing person, drug smuggling, and the possibility of a nuclear device. The narrative is characterized by fast-paced action, dialogue revealing character motivations and backstories, and the stark, isolated setting of the Great Plains.