Water, land, soil--any Midwesterner knows these resources shape our states; they define our economies, our culture, our social structure, and our politics. While we have made progress to a more modern political and economic structure, these fundamental forces--the water, land, soil--still play an outsize role in all dimensions of our societies. This book is their story, in particular, the story of our water--its presence or lack thereof, and how it influences the health of the land and society.