As locusts descend upon the prairie farms of Minnesota during the summer of 1876, fourteen-year-old Asa Senger and his family fear they are about to lose everything. Even though the Dakota Indians have been exiled from the state, an elderly Indian appears and Asa's father, the sheriff, jails him in order to gain a bounty payment. Asa feels sorry for him and sets the old Indian free but must live with the guilt. Meanwhile, a mysterious aunt who has been confined to an asylum arrives at Asa's home, bringing with her secrets about his family's history.