The newly graduated teacher Ester moves home to Alta, where she got a temporary job at a school. In order to be accepted by her new colleagues, she hides her Sami origins, but inspired by her cousin Mihkkal, she gathers the courage to show her identity. Through him, she becomes involved in the ongoing protests against the construction of the Alta Dam. The Norwegian state has made decisions about the expansion of the river without taking into account the Sami people, whose society risks being drowned if the dam becomes a reality. The film is based on real events and through Ester’s existential journey and political awakenings, we get to take part in a story that is as burningly relevant today as it was in 1978.