Peace Like a River is the story of the young boy Reuben Lands, son of the miracle-working janitor Jeremiah. The asthmatic Reuben and his two siblings are drawn into a series of scuffles and crimes that bring them into the company of Jape Waltzer, a murderous man who, in combination with Jeremiah's bout of pneumonia, upsets their quiet life. Eventually they manage to disentangle themselves, but Jeremiah passes away, taking Reuben's asthma with him as a final miraculous act.