Geraldine Gull is an aggressive, angry, Ojibwa woman. She drinks too much and fights too much, and terrorizes other members of the reserve, with particular focus on the priest and his church. Willa, is a white art teacher who has just got a job on the reserve to teach art to the children, but Geraldine does not want another white person on the reserve and makes sure that Willa knows that she is not welcome. Willa quickly questions her position on the reserve and feels isolated from those around her, that is, until Geraldine realizes Willa could be of some use.