| Part 1 | A Fragile Coastal Retreat | 4 |
| A Cape for All Seasons | 7 | |
| Part 2 | A Great Arm in the Sea | 20 |
| A Sliver of Sand | 23 | |
| The Bountiful Sea | 45 | |
| The Cape’s Transformation | 69 | |
| A Glacial Base | 26 | |
| The Restless Shore | 28 | |
| Wampanoag Indians | 32 | |
| Pilgrims First Landing | 34 | |
| The Cape Cod House | 38 | |
| Whaling’s Heyday | 48 | |
| Cape Codders and the Sea | 50 | |
| Fisheries | 54 | |
| Saltworks | 56 | |
| A Coastline Littered With Shipwrecks | 60 | |
| Lighthouses and Lifesaving | 62 | |
| Two Henrys: Thoreau and Beston | 72 | |
| The Cranberry Bog | 74 | |
| Marconi’s Wireless Station | 78 | |
| Part 3 | Guide and Adviser | 84 |
| Visiting Cape Cod | 86 | |
| Map of the National Seashore | 88 | |
| The National Seashore | 90 | |
| Water Activities | 92 | |
| Whale-Watching | 94 | |
| Recreation Ashore | 96 | |
| Birdwatching | 98 | |
| Orleans, Brewster, and Chatham | 100 | |
| Eastham and Wellfleet | 102 | |
| Truro and Provincetown | 104 | |
| Nearby Attractions | 106 | |
| Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket | 107 | |
| Safety, Other Management Concerns | 108 | |
| Armchair Explorations | 109 | |
| Index | 110 | |