Walking Wakan

Every year since she was born, Laura's grandmother Kate has taken her winter vacation at their family home in Minneapolis. As Laura and her older brother, Charles grow up, Kate shares a history of her own mother's journey west to a late 1880's mining town called Hot Springs. She tells fascinating stories about the settling of the homestead that has sat idle for nearly fifty years. The tales are brought to life through a collection of scrapbooks, journals, photographs and rumors passed through two generations. Some stories seem far-fetched and the parents often chide the grandmother for filling Laura's head with harsh and tawdry scenarios. Laura's mother, however, sees a bond forming which she did not have and accepts the storytelling will be part of Kate's visit, every winter. It is the early 1970's when Kate dies unexpectedly, leaving the fabled ranch to Laura's mother--who makes the decision to move the family to a place they have never visited. Charles is excited to go, but Laura fears all sorts of things there. They sell their home, pack the moving truck, say their goodbyes and drive west. Soon after arriving at the old homestead they are overwhelmed. However; they are determined. They hire skilled help for the ranch and for the businesses they will start up in town. In the process of running a general store they meet two Indians, a thirty-something man and his aging mother, who travel from the reservation several times a year, driving from town to town, selling their wares. Against the advice of the locals, the family begins business dealings with these Indians. Laura has already made a strong connection to the land, and now, she develops two unusual friendships. While the man counsels Laura on her youthful dilemmas, through the complex Sioux notion of 'wakan', the elder woman teaches her how to create beaded masterpieces in the true Lakota tradition. As the family's business ventures flourish, they will face adversity and unforeseen danger in an environment completely outside their former realities. Just as diamonds are formed by extreme heat and pressure, Laura ultimately becomes stronger and discovers how to walk her own life's path as never before imagined.