Linda Hasselstrom is a poet, essayist and working ranch woman. She works a South Dakota ranch home-steaded by her Swedish forebears. She structures her narration around the opening and closing of gates as she goes "over east" en route to the summer pasture. With each stop, she makes a nostalgic foray into the past, discusses the routine demands of their cow-calf operation and celebrates the wildlife or the silent dignity of deserted homesteads.