Naturalist and adventurer Craig Childs seeks out water in the place where it is most rare: the American desert. In a narrative of exploration into unknown canyons and across remote arid expanses, Childs searches for water that is hidden, water that moves, and fierce water that kills without mercy. He teases out nuances of meaning from the smallest stream and recounts the high adventure of dodging a freight train of muddy flood water roaring through a narrow, steep-walled canyon. The personality of water becomes fully animated in this remarkable book.