Mary states that she and her sister Marge would not do anything because they were scared their mother would beat them too. Mary was also exposed to alcohol at a very young age as her Uncle James would leave the reserve on several occasions and come home "full of spirits" and quite drunk. Ironically it wasn't until Mary's house on the reserve actually burned down that they were able to get a new house. This house was equipped with running water and a toilet that flushed. However this good turn of events was short lived as this is where Mary's story took a turn for the worst and it did not get better for a long time.
Mary was only eight years old when her problems really started to get bad. This is when she was ripped form her home and forced to go to a residential school with her older siblings Marge and Hugh. This was due to her moms drinking binges that would cause her mom to be away from the house for days at a time and the children being home alone would have to fend for themselves. Mary and her siblings did have their Grandmother but sometimes it would be days before she would realize that the kids were by themselves. The drinking binges became more and more frequent and the police started to pick up the mother for alcohol offences and she landed in jail in Vancouver. This is when the children were taken to Cranbrook.
The residential schools were the next phase of Mary Lawrence's turmoil. From the beginning Mary was separated from her brother Hugh who was put in the boys dorm. The book does an excellent job of portraying the way of life inside an Indian residential school. The rules were very strict and the schools were of the Catholic faith. Mary had a very difficult time in these schools and was abused by the nuns if she broke the rules. Mary was punished for not being in bed at time and for flicking the lights. This was physically done by "strapping" the hand of any disobedient student.