Some tattered papers discovered in the ruins of a cabin in the Adirondack Mountains reveal the life story of an old Native American woman, Sky Flower, written in the form of a diary. And what a story she has to tell! With quill in hand, the Mohawk writer records her life from her early memories as a spoiled child in her tribe. Through unusual circumstances, tragedies, and her own fierce spirit, she experiences life in a Dutch colony (Fort Orange at present-day Albany), in New Amsterdam (present-day Manhattan), and in a great manor house in Littleton, England, where she becomes a governess. There she discovers that one of the children under her care is deaf. Her compassion and familiarity with Native sign language help bring the girl out of her shell. A romantic interlude results in a broken heart and Sky Flower returns to live along the Hudson River, where she starts an informal school, before retiring to the mountains.
Sky Flower experiences both the luxuries and hardships of European life in the 17th century, as well as the societal hypocrisies that come with it. She witnesses first-hand the inevitable clash of cultures played out in early America. She writes of the hardships she accepts living as a recluse in the wilderness. The book presents in bold relief a personal statement about the tumultuous events of the "Contact Period," told from a perspective of a long and eventful life.
The book concludes with an overview and a timeline that give the story additional historical context by noting key events in Europe and Colonial America during Sky Flower's tumultuous life.