The time is the late 1800's, the setting, a small town in Eastern Washington: the story, an undeniably fascinating and unforgettable saga of life on the newly civilized western frontier. Why Wait for Heaven paints a broad and brilliant portrait of this era as it follows the exploits of the Andrus family, prominent residents of Dayton: Lord Nelson Andrus, the patriarch known to all as "Doc", a man rich in humanity and intelligence who dispenses both justice and good health to the local citizenry; his wife and loving helpmate, Nancy, whose good sense and good manners guide the Andrus household; and their seven spirited children one son and six daughters who tread precariously between high hopes and high jinks as they stumble towards maturity.