An unforgettable generational saga about the roots of American culture, class, identity, and the meaning of freedom In a novel about casual and heedless acts that often lead to unthinkable results, Mary Lee Settle traces the fall of a West Virginia town that was first made rich by coal, then corrupted and destroyed by it. Set in 1912, The Scapegoat propels the readers with astonishing immediacy to a fateful day in a coal miners' strike when distant relatives of Beulah dynasty, only dimly aware of their blood ties, face off in a dispute that escalates in the slaughter of an innocent man. Emotions escalate to a frenzy of violence as Mother Jones, leader of the striking miners, calls for action in a community devastated by Southern resignation and by guilt associated with selling out to Eastern investors.