Flutie lives on the edge of an enormous quiet that she wants to transcend. Her family's life on a dirt road in Western Oklahoma, her father's job repairing old cars and tractors belonging to impoverished hay farmers, her brother's betrayal, and her mother's indifference are all parts of a story Flutie wants to tell if she can find the words.

In a library book, Flutie reads the myth of Philomela, whose tongue was cut out by her sister's husband so she cannot tell that he raped her. As Flutie faces the poverty of the land and the turmoil of her family, she feels she is also without a tongue. She is not just afraid to speak, she is afraid of being. She especially fears her imagination, which produces visions of deer and spirit women.

For a time, Flutie loses herself in drinking and drugs and a friendship that becomes oppressive. But through the influence of a kind neighbor and her own resolve she ends up doing what once seemed impossible - she finds her voice as she overcomes her shyness and fears.