Luke knows his I´nupiaq name is full of soundswhite people can#146;t say. He knows he#146;ll have toleave it behind when he and his brothers are sentto boarding school hundreds of miles from theirArctic village.At Sacred Heart School things are different.Instead of family, there are students -- Eskimo,Indian, White -- who line up on different sides ofthe cafeteria like there#146;s some kind of war goingon. And instead of comforting words like tutu and maktak, there#146;s English. Speaking I´nupiaq -- or any native language -- is forbidden. And FatherMullen, whose fury is like a force of nature, isready to slap down those who disobey.Luke struggles to survive at Sacred Heart.

Buthe#146;s not the only one. There#146;s smart-aleck Amiq, a daring leader -- if he doesn#146;t self destruct; Chickie, blond and freckled, a different kind of outsider; and small quiet Junior, noticing everything and writing it all down. Each has their own story to tell. But once their separate stories come together, things at Sacred Heart School -- and in the wider world -- will never be the same.