Jeremy Prine has reached the most difficult time of his young life. At the age of seventeen, he has just lost his mother to cancer. As an orphan, he has nothing to turn to except a letter his mother has left for him.

In this letter, Jeremy's mother implores him to go in search of his uncle Aiden. She says that his uncle has something to give him that she never could, and in return he has something to give his uncle. She warns that his uncle is a hard man to deal with and will try to drive him away, but he must persevere to discover what this gift is.

When Jeremy tracks down his uncle, Aiden is working in a hard rock tunnel just south of Atlanta, Georgia. Aiden mines the earth with a huge machine that is a cross between coal mining and excavation. He is indeed a hard, bitter man; disfigured, he still takes great pride on the job that he does.

Jeremy convinces his uncle to take him on and joins him in the mine in attempt to win his approval. The two work out their differences as Jeremy becomes a man and Aiden learns to share in Jeremy's love of all that is good.

W. Dale Cramer has created a world within itself when he describes the life of Aiden and his fellow miners. Theirs is a life lived in darkness and danger but instilled with pride in their work. The bond that slowly develops between Jeremy and his tough and bitter uncle is one to be cherished. Bad Ground is a wonderful book with a touching story to impart.