After her father disappears into the woods outside their home, Rosalie Iron Wing leaves to live with a foster family who also are the descendants of the Dakhóta people. While her father taught her about the land and the history of their people, her foster family teachers her about the iron will of the Dakhóta women. After surviving the death of her husband, a white farmer, Rosalie returns to the family cabin where she grew up and reflects about her people's struggle for survival, comparing it to a cache of her heirloom seeds passed down through generations.