Twelve-year-old Lauren Taylor thinks she's doomed when her parents decide to move from Brooklyn, New York to Bismarck, North Dakota--until she meets Jilly, her new neighbor. Not only does this pre-teen ride horses and have two cute older brothers, she has a secret. An old Indian woman, Miss White Wolf, has passed on a note from her grandfather about gold coins hidden more than a hundred years ago on the woman's property and Jilly enlists Lauren's help to find the gold. What starts out as a treasure hunt develops into much more for Lauren. She is exposed to Native American culture through food and legends, and unravels more than one mystery. In the end, she discovers treasures worth more than hidden coins and realizes her move to Bismarck has helped her gain more than she's lost.