This story is about a young woman named Kala who finds out that she has the ability to be a angakok or as we know them, a shaman. This means she has the ability to hear the spirits and turn into a animal, she is the connection between the people and the spirits. Along comes a new hunter who has lived amongst the white men, he brings along a gun and white man ways. Kala is attracted to him but at the same time is not sure what to do as he breaks taboos and upsets the spirits.

Along the way she meets the Silat, who are unicorn looking spirits of the narwhales. The heroine has to learn how to handle getting older and having this new responsibility. This is a well written book that introduces a different culture and their beliefs. It was written to draw the reader into this culture and understand it without any previous knowledge. ( )