A tale that begins in 1970 and involves two childhood friends, Emily and Rachel. Emily remains in their northern hometown while Rachel sets out for Europe. The focus is on Emily and her quest for wholeness, which leads her, at the age of twenty, back to a wilderness home in the company of Sam, a man she meets while working in a mining camp. An early tragedy forced her family to flee, and now at last she has the chance to return and to learn answers to questions that have haunted her her whole life.