Lionel Red Dog, one of Thomas King's characters in his novel Green Grass, Running Water, was an employee of the government. He worked in Indian Affairs, and his job took him all over North America. It was in South Dakota that Lionel had his last assignment. Lionel was sent to Utah to deliver a speech on "The History of Cultural Pluralism in Canada's Boarding Schools." While there, he runs into a band of natives that coheres him into going to Wounded Knee for a peaceful rally. Along the way, the vehicle that Lionel is riding in is pulled over ....