The novel begins with 16-year-old Franklin Starlight riding into town to see his alcoholic father, Eldon Starlight. Eldon has been absent for most of Frank’s life. Frank is Ojibway and Cree, but has mostly been raised by his white foster father, referred to as the old man. When Frank arrives in town, Eldon informs Frank that he is dying of liver failure from his years of alcoholism. Eldon asks if Frank will take him into the backcountry to be buried the warrior way: sitting upright and facing east.
Before the journey, Frank reflects on the life he’s lived with the old man. The old man has always been more of a father to Frank than Eldon has, and for the longest time, Eldon believed the old man was indeed his father. The old man taught Frank how to hunt, how to give thanks to the animals he hunted, and how to honor the land. The old man taught Frank everything he knows.
Frank agrees to accompany Eldon, and the two begin their journey. They leave the town of Parson’s Gap, British Columbia, and travel to the bush. Along the way, Eldon begins to tell Frank stories from his past—stories Eldon has never shared with another person before. Eldon tells Frank about his mother, Frank’s grandmother, who was a wonderful storyteller. Eldon tells Frank about laboring in work camps when Eldon was younger, and about Eldon’s best friend Jimmy who worked alongside him. Eldon’s mother was trapped in an abusive relationship with Eldon’s foreman, Jenks, and Eldon was forced to abandon his mother. Frank becomes angry when he hears this story, feeling as though he was robbed of a grandmother.
During their journey, Frank and Eldon come across the house of Becka Charlie. Becka is Indigenous and white, much like Frank and Eldon. Becka cares for Frank and Eldon, gives them food, and gives Frank advice about Eldon. Becka tells Frank that all anyone is, in the end, is their stories, and then Becka sends Frank and Eldon along with some medicine to aid in Eldon’s alcohol withdrawal.
The stories continue as father and son travel, with Eldon becoming weaker along the way. Eldon describes how he signed up for the Korean War with Jimmy. While in the trenches, Jimmy made Eldon promise to bury Jimmy in the warrior way if Jimmy died. Eldon promised. Jimmy was shot in battle, and Eldon was forced to finish Jimmy off so as not to give their position away. Eldon also had to leave Jimmy’s body on the battlefield, and so he was unable to bury Jimmy in the warrior way. After the war, Eldon began drinking heavily, and soon developed an alcohol problem.
Eldon’s stories are interspersed with Frank’s memories of Eldon during Frank’s childhood. Frank learned Eldon was his father when Frank was seven years old. Eldon was always drunk when Frank came to see him, and one time Eldon had sex with a woman when Frank was in the room. On Frank’s 10th birthday, Eldon promised to stay sober, but ended up getting very inebriated secretively. Eldon was unable to keep his promises to Frank due to the severity of his alcoholism.
In the present, Eldon nears the brink of death. His body is shaking from withdrawal, but the medicine Becka gave Frank and Eldon helps to ease Eldon’s pain. The final story Eldon tells Frank is the story of Frank’s mother, Angie Pratt. Angie was a Cree woman Eldon met in a bar. Eldon also met a man named Bunky, and a week later Bunky offered Eldon a job at his farm. Angie was romantically involved with Bunky at this point. Eldon agreed to take the job.
Eldon built Bunky a fence over the course of a few weeks, and during this time Angie and Eldon began sleeping together. Eldon also got sober during this time. Bunky discovered their affair, and Eldon and Angie admitted that they loved one another. Angie and Eldon left Bunky’s farm. The couple found an old cabin, began fixing it up together, and Angie got pregnant. Eldon began drinking again during Angie’s pregnancy because he was ashamed of his past and fearful of being a father. Eldon was at a bar when Angie went into labor, and consequently, Angie got to the hospital too late. Angie died, but their son, Frank, lived. Eldon brought a week-old Frank to the old man, Bunky. Bunky agreed to raise Frank out of his love for Angie, but he despised Eldon and blamed him for Angie’s death.
After the story of Frank’s mother, Eldon passes away in the night. Frank buries Eldon like he asked, in the warrior way. Frank is unsure if he forgives Eldon for being a neglectful father at the end of the novel. Frank returns to the farm with the old man, and the two eat dinner together. In the final scene of the book, Frank walks out onto the land. In the space between sunset and darkness, Frank sees the ghostly shapes of his ancestors on the land. Frank raises his hand to his ancestors, and heads back to the farmhouse.
