Because she has been very ill and weak, River cannot join in the dancing at this year's tribal powwow, she can only watch from the sidelines as her sisters and cousins dance the celebration--but as the drum beats she finds the faith to believe that she will recover and dance again.

"In this beautifully illustrated book, a young, determined Anishnaabe girl decides to go on a transformative journey into a forest on her traditional territory, in search of adventure. She is joined by a chorus of women and girls in red dresses--ancestors who tell her they remember what it was like to be carefree and wild too. Soon, though, the girl is challenged by a monster named Hate who envelops the girl in a cloud of darkness. With the creature...

In this uplifting, contemporary Native American story, River is recovering from illness and can't dance at the powwow this year. Will she ever dance again?