It isn't rare for towns along the Ohio River to get flooded which is why Gus and Pete's family live all the way up on Fifth Street far enough away from the river to avoid the flooding. But 1937 is not a typical year.
By the beginning of January it is already raining - melting the snow from December. At first no one is overly concerned - too many other things to deal with. Pete has school issues and Gus has girl troubles - well his family has the troubles because she is not Catholic. But as the rain continues things get more precarious. Gus and his dad leave to help with sandbagging efforts and we hear about Pete's efforts to save the house and the rest of his family. But after more than a week Gus and his dad have not returned. The second half of the book focuses on what was happening to Gus at the same time.
The book is much more than a book about a natural disaster. At the heart of it is a story of family and love. What is impressive to me is that while the story is based on real events the author was able to craft the characters and story into something more.
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