This is a fun story that takes the reader in a lot of different directions. The story begins with a Lakota elder (Hazel) and her granddaughter (Stella) finding a white turkey on their property. For the Lakota, a white turkey is considered to either be sacred or a good omen, and suddenly many of the townsfolk begin showing up to look at the white turkey. Hazel refuses to believe that the turkey is special, suggests that it must belong to someone, and puts an ad in the local paper. No one claims the turkey and Stella begins to think that the bird is special.

It seems that the turkey is sacred though, because it seems that the turkey ends up being involved with four (at least) miracles. The first miracle is when

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the turkey is seen in the middle of the night, and it looks like it is wearing a barbed wire crown against the moonlight.

This causes even more interest in the turkey. But the story is not just about the turkey, and instead takes readers in the direction of learning about issues Hazel is having with another medicine man (Hazel also gives spiritual advice and knows many herbal remedies).

Stella tries to focus on watching the white turkey, who lays some eggs. Hazel tries to convince Stella that since there are no tom turkeys around the eggs will not be fertile. Still, Stella waits for them to hatch even though no one believes that they will and tells her not to waste her time. But as it turns out

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the eggs do hatch and there are now multiple white turkey poults roaming the property, and one young turkey hen that is black/brown. Miracle two (if you decide to count this as a miracle--as a turkey breeder, I can tell you hens remain fertile for up to 14 days after being fertilized with a male)

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Despite this, Stella is convinced that something bad is about to happen--likely involving her grandmother Hazel--and sure enough there is an incident. One night

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Stella and Hazel return home to find that their chickens have all been shot and slaughtered throughout the yard. Hazel finds the white turkey crucified on the front door and is mortified. She cuts the dead turkey down and hides her in the truck so that Stella will not be upset. They assume the turkey poults are dead as well, but soon they show up and want in the truck with their mother. And the white turkey comes back to life! She is injured, but has returned from the dead. Miracle three.

Meanwhile, Hazel goes to the tribal government offices to pick up her bi-annual land check. The offices want to begin mailing them but Hazel absolutely refuses to get something in the mail. She goes in, grabs her check, and also grabs a ledger off of the desk. It turns out that the ledger reveals

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a scam to skim money off of land payments, and there are five individuals involved. Hazel is going to try and shed light on this event, which is dangerous.

Stella then has a birthday, turning 13 and therefore becoming a woman, and Hazel, Stella, and the Lately family go on a small picnic to a nearby lake. During this time, Stella's best friend Avril Lately goes missing.

There is a search for Avril but

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he is found only after he and Stella have visions about the white turkey. The turkey tells Stella where Avril is. Avril claims the turkey helped to keep him alive as well. Miracle four, if you're counting.

With all of this revealed, Hazel ends up uncovering the scam regarding the land and does a ceremony involving the white turkey. She then lets the gossip ladies in the community reveal things to everyone else. Yet after this, she never performs any ceremonies again.

Such a fun story. I won't tell you how the turkey situation is wrapped up, but it does not go as expected. Quite a fun read and one of my favorite novels by Frances Washburn.