On the White Earth Reservation in northwest Minnesota, Aunt Jessie encourages eighth-grader Autumn to try out for the school play, discover her Ojibwa heritage, and address issues of dyslexia, bullying, and her father's return after leaving the family.

When his mother leaves, sixteen-year-old Bobby, a Choctaw, begins living in a hole in his backyard to avoid his abusive father, and is surprised to find friends and neighbors willing to help him. Inspired by the traditional Choctaw story.