Bernice enjoys being a child among her too-curious siblings. It isn't until she begins to have visions of the Promised Land, that dangerous place on the hill where the spirits of her Native American ancestors roam, that her life begins to change. Bernice is a collection of vignettes that captures the beauty of having both African American and Native American heritage collide in the South. It is the story of what it means to have an empty pocketbook but a rich life, a child's understanding but a heart loving enough to swallow the pain of the world. It is the story of a little girl who, by stepping into the world of spirits, learns the definition of strength.