The Beauty Closer By is an environmental novel set in the small town of Calhan, Colorado, on the plains thirty miles east of Colorado Springs. Calhan's bleak, but nearby are bluffs and the Paint Mines, a geological formation of colorful clays that were used in olden days by Native Americans for paints and pottery. These are favorite places for Terry Pendletonm who's landed in Calhan after disappearing from his previous life as a successful building contractor in California. Terry's hiding out from his wife, working as a handyman doing odd jobs around town. He doesn't need money, so he often charges less than others for projects or repairs. The discounts are helpful to many, but no good deed goes unpunished, and Terry's acts of kindness frequently lead him into random trouble. Terry's mother lives in Rapid City, South Dakota. The neighbors there think his mother should be in assisted living, but Terry is reluctant to do anything for fear he might be traced by his wife's lawyers through his mother. Terry also has a son in Southeast Asia, who frequently sends Terry cryptic photographs without any explanation or message. Throughout, Terry is repairing washing machines, computers, broken pipes, and electrical problems, as well as building barbecues and fences and a dance venue. The people and families in need of Terry's services are the characters families scattered throughout the novel.