Salamanca Tree Hiddle is taking a trip with her grandparents from Euclid, Ohio to Lewiston, Idaho, to visit her mother 's final resting place. She and her father left their farm in Bybanks, Kentucky, so she moved to Euclid Ohio. Salamanca and her grandparents arrive at South Dakota, when Salamanca talked about life of Phoebe 's mother. They have reached Coeur D 'Alene in northern Idaho, but Gramps and Sal must rush Gram, because she is in hospital. Later, Sal visit her mother 's grave and back to Coeur D 'Alene.
Salamanca Tree Hiddle is a narrator of this book. She is a vibrant country girl who loss her mother. She gains strength from spending time in natural settings and from her Native American heritage, and many of her memories and experiences center on trees, rivers, wild berries, and mountains.
Phoebe Winterbottom is Salamanca 's best friend in Euclid, Ohio. She is a sensitive girl who obsessed with propriety and order. She divide people into two groups, which is perfect people(normal people), and lunatics. She has a propensity to imagine exaggeratedly.
Gramps and Gram are Salamanca 's grandparents. They drive Sal across the country to visit her mother 's final resting place. Even their unpredictability worries her, Sal looks to them for support, love and adventure.
Mrs. Winterbottom is Phoebe 's mother. Like Phoebe, she is obsessed with propriety. She is really similar to Sal 's mother. She works well as a housewife and mother, but becomes sad by her family 's