Cathy Saltonstall is a young woman pulled between the wishes of her blueblood Boston family and her own passions. Her anthropology professor encourages her to conduct her dissertation research on The Ashwagane who live on the Sand Island Reserve in Canada. Cathy leaves behind her family and her fiance for a year in 'the bush', hoping that the natives will accept her and she'll be able to discover the missing pieces of the Ashwagane past. Cathy soon meets Conk Seguin, a 'bush' pilot, who ferries tourists back and forth. Conk may prefer to spend his time-off with the island's loon population, but he's never been one to ignore a skirt. Soon Cathy and Conk are a regular item and Cathy feels accepted by the Band. One day while visiting the loons, Cathy and Conk make a discovery that could change the course of the Ashwagane future forever.

I've read that the film That Beautiful Somewhere was made from this book. These are two very different stories. Not that one is better than the other, just that they seem unrelated. So, if you've seen the film and want to read the book (have fun tracking it down, I did), don't say you haven't been warned. ( )