Margie Robineau hails from the Mozhay Point Indian reservation and is considered as the best frybread maker in the whole region. Margie assumed the title after the demise of Anna Buck, who used to be frybread queen. The two frybread makers belong to the Ojibwe community. Generally, Ojibwe people are known for their ricing skills. However, the community is among the Indian tribes that are subjected to oppression by the federal government. The area occupied by the community is near the lake and the scent of sweetgrass appeals to residents.
The road back to sweetgrass, which the author uses as the title of the book, is a path heading to LaForce allotment, an original settlement place of the Ojibwe community. The breeze from Lost Lake along with the scent of sweetgrass tease the noses of locals every time. However, the author asserts that the sweetgrass is elusive. The allegorical language used by the author to describe the scent of sweetgrass gives readers an insight into a strong critique of societal realities. Most people returning to Mozhay point have suffered injustices and violent acts.
The last sections of the novel explain how people were forced to desert the allotment through forced relocations. Zho Wash narrates the situations that led many people to flee the Mozhay Point reservation. Mozhay Point is a place where natives were subjected to every kind of torture. Fortunately, in modern times residents are gradually returning to their original settlements.
