In August 1942, Frankie Washburn revisits his Minnesota family before joining the war effort, saying good-bye to family, friends, and the Native American caretaker he held dear. Then a German POW escapes from a nearby camp.

The story of an Indian family on a reservation in Minnesota. Its members live in three wind-battered houses and an old car that doubles as a house. Family members include a Vietnam War vet and a girl who served as a maid for whites. One by one, they tell the family's story. A first novel by an Indian writer.