Between Earth and Sky

Wisconsin, 1881. Young Alma Blanchard welcomes the 37 indigenous students from neighboring reservations who have arrived to attend the new boarding school run by her father. While the students must assimilate by learning a new language and way of life, Alma, the only white pupil, absorbs a variety of their native dialects as she tries to earn their friendship and trust. She also learns hard lessons about racism and social injustice. One heartbreaking incident during her teenage years causes her to break ties with her family. Fast forward 15 years after Alma fled her parents and forged a new life in Philadelphia. She has put heartbreak behind her—or has she?—and marries a lawyer who is unaware of her unusual upbringing. When her childhood friend Asku, now called Harry Muskrat, is charged in the murder of a federal agent, Alma begs her husband to defend him. In doing so, she is forced to reveal her past.