Summary

In a remote place in Alaska, the readers are introduced to the main character, Piper.  She grew up in the area, but moved away after graduation.

The short story follows her at a time when she has returned, in order to spread her dead father’s ashes under a particular spruce tree. Her father had died in a plane accident, but Piper had been expecting this news for a long time. She thinks that her father had acted reckless many times and had always taken too many risks that could have led to his death.

While she travels by plane to the place, she has a lot of thoughts about death and remembers episodes from her childhood involving her father, Red.  She remembers a time when a friend of her father’s died and all the grownups got drunk in the memo...