Dee Beans, a young Alaskan Native woman, a Tlingit, leaves perceived limited options in her village for the apparently larger life of Sitka. Although she experiences extreme affronts and challenges from a society dominated by men, she also rediscovers and reinvents important aspects of her culture and of her personal creativity. Ultimately, she restores her family. During many trials, she restores and reinvigorates the power and essentiality of all Alaskan women.