Because of the novel and the film Deliverance, the Chattooga River looms enigmatically in our shared imagination, as iconic as Twain's Mississippi - or maybe Conrad's Congo. This is John Lane's search for the real Chattooga - for the truths that reside somewhere in the river's rapids, along its shores, or in its travelers' hearts. Lane balances the dark, indifferent mythical river of Deliverance against the Chattooga known to locals and to the outdoors enthusiasts who first mastered its treacherous vortices and hydraulics. Starting at its headwaters, Lane guides us down the river and through its complex history to its current status as a National Wild and Scenic River. Along the way he talks with conservation activists, seventh-generation residents, locals who played parts in the movie, day visitors, and others. At the end of the run, Lane leaves us still fully possessed by the Chattooga's mystery, yet better informed about its place in his world and ours.