On a visit to her grandmother Ola, who is dying of cancer in her house in the desert, fourteen-year-old Emmie hears many stories about the past and her family history and comes to a better understanding of relatives both dead and living. The videotaping is Ola's idea--Ola, Emmie's grandma who lives in the California desert is dying of cancer. Emmie and her mother have come to "the dry" to pack up Ola's house and take her back to a hospital in Cleveland. As Emmie starts photographing Ola's friends, she learns about her family history and their heritage. As Ola is sped off to heaven, life below is revered and celebrated.