" A Cautionary Tale" is an alternative history covering the period 1936-41. The story is a mystery with elements of the paranormal. A U.S. government public-works project erects The Kansas Steel Range, a colossal artificial mountain, on the Colorado/Kansas border. Many work for the project; others are drawn there. Threatened by a wealthy recluse who takes possession of the Mountain, a handful of misfits foment a revolution as America is drawn into the global chaos of World War II.