Edie Green is an ordinary 12-year-old girl who has grown up in Seattle. She is an only child, and she is close to her mother, her father, and her maternal uncle. The book is set during her summer vacation; when she returns to school, she will begin seventh grade. Edie is undergoing rapid changes in her personal life and trying to understand who she is and how she fits into the world. She is a dynamic character who changes considerably from the book’s beginning to its end. At the story’s start, Edie does not have a clear sense of who she is, who her real friends are, or what it means to be Indigenous.

As Edie tries to learn more about her culture, she finds that her efforts are often stymied. Her parents are unwilling to talk to her about Indigenous culture and history. They want to protect her from difficult truths and complex topics like what life is like on tribal lands. When Edie asks about her name, her mother’s past, or the poster at the movie theater, she meets a similar unwillingness to engage. The disconnect between what Edie knows and what she wants to know forms a major conflict in the novel.