It's 1944 in rural upstate New York. High school senior Meg lives with her grandparents above a saloon overlooking Seneca Lake. Born during the crash of 1929, Meg was one too many pregnancies for her emotionally fragile mother.  

Meg aims to break free from her family's cycle of poverty by attending Cornell University in the fall. Her grandparents hope she'll nab a ring from wealthy Hank Wickham before he deploys for Europe. But Meg finds secret romance with handsome, enigmatic Arthur, a 19-year-old Seneca Indian farm worker who shares life lessons with Meg, telling her stories from Iroquois Indian lore.   
 
Locals look down on "injuns" and resent the fact that Arthur's farm job exempts him from military duty. While the war rages in Europe, Meg and Arthur must fight their own battles at home...

"Seneca Lake"

by Emily Heebner