The Sixth Day tells the story of the lakeside village Kanodea through its early settlement, to the late twentieth century. Chapters are complete short stories in which new characters are introduced and, as the story unfolds, old characters reenter. Age old problems are confronted in a variety of settings when Martha Ann deals with her alcoholic husband, and Bertie watches helplessly as his sister throws herself away on a suitor unworthy of her. Jack and Jennie don't know the consequences they'll reap when they embark upon their affair, nor does Eugene know the lengths he'll go to to protect those he loves. Threads from early stories reach a conclusion in the last chapter as Senny and Kay find a welcome homecoming in Kanodea.