Born beneath a sacred oak known as the birthing tree where generations of Mi'kmaq women have delivered their children, Aliet Paul loses her mother, Maggie, during her own birth. She is raised outside a small Nova Scotia town by her fierce grandmother, Kiju, a traditional midwife who teaches Aliet the ways of Indigenous medicine and midwifery. Her childhood is shaped by seasonal apple pickers, the wisdom of the old ways, and a steady boy named John who becomes her anchor. However, as traditional midwifery faces condemnation and deep-seated prejudice, a disastrous event occurs when the wrong person witnesses a birth. Turning away from her community and her grandmother's teachings, Aliet leaves home to work as a nurse in an urban hospital. Years later, word of Kiju's death brings Aliet back to her crumbling childhood home. To start her life anew and protect the legacy of the women before her, Aliet must reclaim her heritage, face the mystery of her unnamed father, and confront a long-held family secret.
