Linda Varner and her father Big Gene run a smuggling operation in a world with many levels and a spiral staircase as the only way to move between them. If you want something, they can get it, if anyone can. They also make shine, a drink that is illegal but very popular. One evening the world shakes, just for a few seconds, and soon everything that Linda thought she knew about her world is challenged. She sets out on a journey to the bottom of the world, where she grew up and where she might find some answers.