"Julie Prince is a college student at the top of her class and seems destined for conventional success. But then she falls in love with Neil, a radical environmental activist and graduate student writing on the economics of deforestation. At his urging she abandons her privileged East Coast life to tree-sit in the forests of Oregon. Julie at first regards the journey as a romantic field trip; soon, though, she finds herself increasingly moved by the lush magnificence of the endangered forest and, like Neil, invested in its protection. As Neil veers toward militant acts of sabotage, Julie is forced to reassess her loyalties and beliefs: How much damage is done by doing nothing? When is it wrong to do good too zealously? How can she choose between the boy she loves and her own sense of righteousness and morality? Exploring this edge, The Tree-Sitter is a novel about learning the price of love and idealism."--Jacket.