Plainsong tells of a small town through the eyes of half a dozen residents, weaving their points of view and their lives together. One of the points of view is the Mcpheron brothers, Harold and Raymond, who ultimately emerge as the heart of this novel and a literary gem. They are two shy elderly bachelor farmers who perceive livestock farming as an analogy of human existence. Their parents died at a young age and since then they have spent their lives on a farm isolated from others. However, the situation changes when Victoria Roubideaux is brought into their lives by Maggie Jones. Surprisingly, they decide to welcome a young pregnant girl under their roof who has neither resources nor options to solve the problem of where to stay during her pregnancy. The two knew nothing about women, babies or children. As the sly prodding of Maggie Jones' right hand pushes them out of their work-related isolation and beyond their pre-established paths. The elderly bachelor farmers who show resilience and courage to grow and learn new things at a time in life when most people are content to retire. Until now, older men have not grown up with the social graces that would put them in situations leading to more relationships. After Victoria lived with Maggie for the time being, it became problematic for her older father. He then contacted the Mcpherons to see if they would accept his offer and allow this young girl into their home. At first they were reluctant to the proposal, but Maggie pushed them to overcome this fear. The source of this reluctance stemmed from the fact that they never had to interact with anyone else, especially women. The only thing they did was agriculture, and until now that was all they knew. Now they were forced to venture off their usual paths and welcome another person. When she moved in they were very concerned about her situation, but more about how to connect with her on a new level they had never experienced. They found this very difficult due to their lack of social skills and their inexperience in how to talk to a teenager, as well as in changing their decades-old habits of their daily lives. Above all they were very generous in changing their lives for this girl.