Ever since Rebecca discovers her hidden American Indian bloodline, she faces the difficult decision whether to live her life as a white woman or risk facing hostility and rejection from those she has pledged to serve as a nurse. As she continues to take care of the people of the small rural town of McAlisterville and the :wood hicks: who labor in the the surounding primitive and dangerous mountain lumber camps, she encounters threats to her livelihood and all she holds dear. However, they aren't the only ones who try to intimidate her and her beloved mentor snf Iroquois grandmother, Back So Straight. Despite violence against her, Back So Straight continues to teach Rebecca to power of plants and trees to heal body, mind and spirit. Will Rebecca reveal her true heritage and succumb to the prejudice and malice of those who accuse her of being heathen - or will she live a lie to protect herself and those she loves?