In "Water", Abbey discusses how the ecosystem adapts to the arid conditions of the Southwest, and how the springs, creeks and other stores of water in their own ways support some of the diverse but fragile plant and animal life. Some of the oddities of water in the desert, such as flash floods and quicksand, are also explored. Abbey contrasts the natural adaptation of the environment to low-water conditions with increasing human demands to create more reliable water sources. "The Heat of Noon: Rock and Tree and Cloud" describes the intensity of the summer months in the park, and the various ways in which animals and humans have tried to survive and adapt in those conditions. Several chapters focus on Abbey's interactions with the people of the Southwest or explorations of human history. In "Rocks", Abbey examines the influence of mining in the region, particularly the search for lead, silver, uranium, and zinc. Abbey contrasts the difficult lives of the many who unsuccessfully sought their fortune in the desert whilst others left millionaires from lucky strikes, and the legacy of government policy and human greed that can be seen in the modern landscape of mines and shafts, roads and towns. Abbey offers the fable of one "Albert T. Husk" who gave up everything and met his demise in the desert, in the elusive search for buried riches. In two chapters entitled "Cowboys and Indians", Abbey describes his encounters with Roy and Viviano ("cowboys") and the Navajo of the area ("Indians"), finding both to be victims of a fading way of life in the Southwest, and in desperate need of better solutions to growing problems and declining opportunities. Abbey also comments on some of the particular cultural artifacts of the region, such as the Basque population, the Mormons, and the archaeological remains of the Ancient Puebloan peoples in cliff dwellings, stone petroglyphs, and pictographs. Several chapters center around Abbey's expeditions beyond the park, either accompanied or alone, and often serve as opportunities for rich descriptions of the surrounding environments and further observations about the natural and human world. Specifically, his search for a wild horse in the canyons ("The Moon-Eyed Horse"), his camping around the Havasupai tribal lands and his temporary entrapment on a cliff face there ("Havasu"), the discovery of a dead tourist at an isolated area of what is now Canyonlands National Park ("The Dead Man at Grandview Point"), his attempt to navigate the Maza area of the Canyonlands National Park ("Terra Incognita: Into the Maze"), and his ascent of Mount Tukuhnikivats ("Tukuhnikivats, the Island in the Desert") are recounted.