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1-Page Summary of There There
Overall Summary
In the weeks leading up to the Big Oakland Powwow, a group of people with Native American heritage living in Oakland prepare for it. They are all connected by their heritage and history, but they don’t realize that because they’re disconnected from one another. One person is Tony Loneman who wants to rob the powwow because he’s ashamed of his face which was damaged due to fetal alcohol syndrome; Octavio Gomez is a drug dealer and mastermind behind this scheme; Dene Oxendene is trying to honor his recently deceased uncle by collecting stories from other Native Americans living in Oakland for a documentary film; Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield her half-sister Jacquie Red Feather and Jacquie’s culturally adrift grandchildren Orvil, Lony, and Loother also struggle to understand one another. Interwoven with these central stories are tales of other individuals who are interconnected in unlikely ways—though they often aren’t aware of those connections.
As the powwow nears, Octavio plans with Calvin Johnson and his brother Charles about how to steal tens of thousands of dollars in cash prizes from the powwow. Calvin is on the committee and provides valuable insider information.
Jacquie goes to a professional conference in Albuquerque while trying to maintain her sobriety. She reconnects with Harvey, the father of the child she gave up for adoption long ago, and they go to Oakland together. Meanwhile, Dene Oxendene gets funding for his storytelling project about Native Americans living in Oakland and looks forward to realizing his uncle’s dream at the powwow.
Fourteen-year-old Orvil Red Feather learns about Native culture from YouTube, and he is excited to enter a dance competition at the powwow. He also discovers that there’s a lump in his leg that seems to be leaking spider legs. Meanwhile, Edwin Black joins the powwow committee after securing an internship with the Indian Center in order to connect with his birth father, Harvey, who might attend the powwow. Blue reflects on her past abuse by her ex-husband Paul and how she has overcome it as a Native community organizer.
At the powwow, everyone is in a festive mood and looking forward to having fun. Orvil participates in a showcase of dancers as he joins them to dance. He realizes that through dancing, he can connect with his family members who are there at the event since it brings people together. Thomas Frank, an alcoholic janitor who was recently fired from his job at the Indian Center for drinking on duty, gets another chance when he’s asked to play music during one of the dances. Edwin meets Harvey (his birth father) and Blue recognizes her friend Jacquie as her birth mother even though she doesn’t say anything about it because she’s too shy and nervous to do so. Tony Loneman wears traditional attire while riding on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) train going towards where the powwow will be held later that day; this makes him feel like things might change for him now that he has chosen not to drink anymore or use drugs anymore either after getting help from Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Daniel Gonzales, Octavio’s teenage cousin, used his 3D printer to create several plastic guns and sold them to Octavio. Daniel plans on watching the robbery unfold by flying a drone that he built over the coliseum. When Carlos attempts to steal the bounty for himself, robbers begin exchanging fire; however, many innocent people are caught in the crossfire. As Calvin is shot dead along with Charles and Thomas while Tony lies dying after putting an end to shooting by killing Charles—Tony feels as though he has finally been released from his bodily prison. He hears birds singing overhead as his consciousness dims away into darkness.
