In the mid-20th century, Kenny, Lucy, Maisie, Clara, and Howie are uprooted from their families by priests and police officers and taken to the Mission School at Arrowhead Bay. This institution, operated by Sister Mary, Brother, and Father Levesque, subjects the children to severe emotional, physical, and sexual abuse under the guise of assimilating them into Canadian culture. The school aims to "civilize" Indigenous children by stripping them of their cultural identities and separating them from their families and traditions. At the school, they are subjected to relentless abuse by the staff. Brother beats Howie so severely that he needs hospitalization. After his recovery, Howie escapes the school with the help of Kenny and flees to the United States with his mother. Kenny also escapes but he finds his mother, Bella, consumed by alcoholism back at home. He chooses to leave once more.
Lucy is discharged from the school on her sixteenth birthday and sent to Vancouver with minimal support. She narrowly escapes being lured into a pimp's trap and reunites with her friend Maisie. Maisie, who had left the school a year earlier, is struggling to find her place in the world. Despite having a job and a boyfriend, she is haunted by her past and takes her own life.
Two years later, Kenny reunites with Lucy in Vancouver. Lucy is now working at the Manitou Motel and attending night classes to rebuild her life. Their reunion results in Lucy becoming pregnant but neither is initially aware of it. When her pregnancy becomes evident, she is expelled from her nursing program. Lucy moves in with Clara and they support each other as they navigate their new lives. Lucy gives birth to a daughter, Kendra, and the two women work together to provide a stable home.
Clara becomes involved with the American Indian Movement (AIM) where she finds purpose and begins to heal from her past trauma. After injuring herself in a dangerous operation, she finds refuge with Mariah, a Cree healer, who helps her reconnect with her Indigenous heritage. Clara returns to Vancouver determined to help others as a Native Courtworker as she advocates for those affected by the residential school system.
After spending years in the United States, Howie returns to Canada to complete paperwork and almost kills Brother, which results in a prison sentence. After his release and his mother's death, Howie struggles to rebuild his life. He meets Clara and she helps him through her role as an advocate. Howie decides to return to his roots in Saskatchewan to rehabilitate his childhood home while preparing to testify in a lawsuit against the government.
Kenny struggles with his unresolved trauma and his inability to stay with his family for long periods. His intermittent visits to Lucy and Kendra are marked by his deep pain, which leads to his death from alcohol poisoning. Kenny's legacy lives on through the life insurance money that Lucy uses to secure a better future for Kendra.
Clara and Howie develop a deep bond through their correspondence. Clara decides to move to Saskatchewan to be with Howie. Howie testifies in the lawsuit against the government to seek justice for the abuses they endured.
