

Once they settle in, Leni begins attending school, where she meets Matthew Walker, the only person her age in Kaneq. They make friends with the Harlans-Bo’s relatives-and Marge Birdsall, their neighbor who also runs the local trading post and helps them get settled. However, when the Allbrights arrive in Alaska, they discover they are woefully unprepared for survival there. The Allbrights hope Alaska will be good for Ernt, who is disgruntled by the current state of the country. He is gifted land in Alaska by Bo Harlan, a former friend whom he watched die after they were captured and tortured together.

Ernt, the family patriarch, is a Vietnam veteran who is mentally disturbed after returning from the war. In 1974, the Allbright family- made up of Ernt, Cora, and Leni-move from Seattle to Kaneq, Alaska.
