When an Iroquois clan mother dies, the identity of her son’s father remains a secret until her spirit brings her ex-boyfriend home to face her father.

SYNOPSIS:

Jigonhatee (Hattie) Canasatego, Iroquois Clan Mother, is a stressed-out grandmother, in the middle of a riot in her kitchen, between her two young grandchildren. The boy, Sagoyewatha, smacks his sister, Minnehaha, with an Iroquois club, and she goes unconscious. When the ambulance arrives, Hattie has a heart attack. She dies in the hospital.

Degan Brandt, an over-fifty burned-out professor, chose his life. He left home. Imagine if a teenage George Bailey, from It’s a Wonderful Life, escaped Bedford Falls, by getting on a plane and flying to Europe. He may not be a happier person, but more than likely, he would be different because he followed his dreams and left everyone behind. When his family contacts him about the death of a former girlfriend, he learns she was pregnant when he ran off thirty-five years ago. He quickly calculates that he has a son, Hiawatha, and grandchildren he has never met.

Hattie's spirit haunts Degan as he navigates his way around the harsh truths of his past. Degan’s son, Hiawatha, wants to kill him for abandoning his mother.

Degan's guilt over abandoning Hattie motivates him to stay in town. He moves in with his sister and tries to repair that relationship. Hattie’s father, They-An, is an Iroquois chief, who believes Hattie’s spirit will heal all the issues caused by Degan’s return. His belief is reinforced by Hattie’s “appearances” around the town. Degan feels her presence.

Canajoharie, New York was the cradle of the Iroquois nation before the American Revolution. The tribe impacted the Mohawk Valley centuries before colonialists settled in the area. The town's identity was lost in the 1750s when the British and Americans pushed the Iroquois out. Since then, the traces of Iroquois culture remain with very few indigenous people living in the town. We see decay, opioid addiction, and a welfare state. Today, the Upstate New York town, is a blue-collar, red hat-wearing, bastion of whiteness.

We go back in time and watch the romance of Hattie and Degan. It is awkward because Hattie believes Degan is the love of her life. He remains silent. They consummate their love after a party.

Degan leaves for England, with a scholarship, but no additional funds from his father. He goes anyway. His bitterness makes him forget home.

Hattie and the tribe flourish during the years when the Beech-Nut plant was operating. Beech-Nut, a company that was known for manufacturing baby food, made the town prosperous. The economy was good, and people were proud. Hattie is one of those people who worked at the plant, happy and content with her life. Then the plant closes, and the town's identity is lost again. The heartbreak of losing their jobs still hurts.

Degan sees the decay in town, and the lives he hurt, and seems to feel Hattie is telling him to stay, to fix the brokenness.

At the end of the pilot, Hiawatha punches Degan, while his son Sagoywatha beats him with a lacrosse stick. Degan is unceremoniously welcomed home.

In future episodes, the spirit of Hattie realizes Hiawatha is not her son. She is outraged, appearing and harming people. She searches for her real son and finds him. He was raised in Manhattan and is living a charmed life. Instead of being happy for him, her spirit is bitter and angry that she could not have raised him to be a part of the tribe. We learn that even in death we search for our meaning and identity.