Elizabeth Washburn loves her home in the northern Wisconsin lake country. She and her husband built it and she has lived there for years. Long widowed, she keeps the place up by herself, through long hours of backbreaking work. But, she is not getting any younger. The Goose, wounded after a long night defending herself against a hostile flock on the lake, stays behind when the others leave for the south. Elizabeth and The Goose live parallel lives through the four seasons of the subsequent year; facing danger, joy, and growth, but knowing the inevitable question must be answered the following fall.