Meanwhile, Linden keeps popping up around town.

Joe realizes that the large sum of cash recovered at the lake is connected to Mayla's disappearance and his own mother's attack. Back at the lake, the authorities have found a sunken car that belongs to Mayla, a young woman attacked by the same person that attacked Geraldine. Mooshum tells Joe about the history of the round house and the Wiindigos-evil, possessed spirits. Joe spends some time with his grandfather, Mooshum.

Sonja soon leaves town, taking most of the money with her in hopes of starting a new life. Joe is not the only one who finds Sonja's behavior suspicious- Whitey, Sonja's husband, is suspicious of his partner's infidelity. As time goes on, Joe realizes that Sonja is using the money herself. He tells Sonja, a former stripper who he has a crush on, about the discovery, and she goes around town depositing the cash into various banks to save for Joe's college. Upon further investigation, he realizes that there is a large sum of money stuffed into the head. One day, while searching for potential evidence at the lake, Joe finds a doll head floating in the water. Throughout their conversations with Linda, Bazil and Joe realize that Linda's twin brother, Linden, is a prime suspect. The Lark family gave Linda up for adoption due to the physical deformities she had at birth. Linda was born into a white family, adopted by Ojibwe parents, and raised on a reservation. Joe and Bazil work together to initiate a conversation with Linda Lark, an anomaly in the local Native community. However, after spying on him, they realize that he has a legitimate alibi. The boys initially think that the new priest in town, Father Travis, could be a suspect in the crime. Meanwhile, Bazil attempts to cooperate with authorities while launching his own investigation. Together, the boys go to the scene of the crime and attempt to discover evidence that will lead them to identify the attacker. Joe enlists the help of his three teenage friends–Cappy, Angus, and Zack. Frustrated by judicial incompetence, Joe and Bazil resolve to piece the case together themselves. Seeking justice, Joe and Bazil repeatedly run into roadblocks with their case.

After Joe and Bazil leave home to look for her, they discover that Geraldine has been brutally raped and attacked by an unknown assailant. Bazil is a tribal judge, and Joe is initially respectful of his father's 'noble profession.' As the story begins, we learn that Geraldine has suspiciously not returned home after running errands. Joe, who is also the story's narrator, lives with his father, Bazil, and his mother, Geraldine. The novel follows Joe Coutts, a thirteen-year-old living on an Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota.

The round house by louise erdrich