This study investigates how the remote Swiss village of Kippel adapted to the pressures of modernization and tourism during the mid-20th century. John Friedl, an anthropologist, utilized long-term participant observation and ethnographic fieldwork to document the transition of this isolated community. The book argues that despite significant economic and social shifts, the village maintained a distinct cultural identity through specific social structures and traditional practices.

Anthropologists frequently cite this work as a classic example of community-based ethnographic research in an Alpine context. Readers often note the clarity of the prose, which makes complex social dynamics accessible to both academic and general audiences.