Touching Spirit Bear

As the novel begins, we are first introduced to Cole Matthews, a juvenile delinquent, who is on the way to an Alaskan village to be subjected to Circle Justice—a term we only later come to understand. The novel opens in the middle of the action, as Cole is travelling on a ship with Garvey, a parole officer of Tlingit Indian origin, and Edwin, an elderly Tlingit Indian who is helping with the Circle Justice process for Cole.