A class history assignment becomes Kirsten's personal time travel machine when her Grandmother Elsie's words make five generations of strong women live again. Kirsten shares Great-Great-Great Grandmother Nassia's courageous run from slavery in Virginia to freedom in Canada, Great-Great Grandmother Sadie's panic during the famous Regina tornado, Great Grandmother Viola's affairs of the heart while running rum in the Moosejaw tunnels, and marvels at Grandmother Elsie's strength as she struggles to survive one of the harshest winters in Saskatchewan's history.