Those Calloways

Cam Calloway, a fur trapper raised by the Micmacs, lives a rugged life on timber land near Swiftwater, Vermont, with his wife Liddy and their son Bucky. He harbors a lifelong dream to establish a sanctuary for the great flocks of wild geese that migrate over the town. He plans to buy 30 acres of marshland for about $1100 and plant a corn patch to lure the geese to the area.

Cam decides to scout a remote area called the Jackpine Valley, a place locals fear and avoid. Ignoring superstition and the danger of the rough terrain, he forges ahead but trips, falls, and breaks his leg.

Bucky and Sounder stay behind to set out their traplines while Cam recovers. A wolverine ravages many of their traps, but Bucky fights and kills the animal, saveing the fur season and his dog.

The fur market collapses, wiping out most of their anticipated profits. Cam spends nearly all the money on a down payment for Swiftwater Lake, leaving them unable to pay off the family home mortgage.

With nowhere to stay, the Calloways are evicted and forced to move to the lake. Neighbors come together to help them build a new home, showing the community's support during a hard time.

Dell Fraser, a traveling salesman, arrives under the false pretense of being a conservationist photographer and schemes to turn Swiftwater into a goose-hunting resort. He gives Cam money to plant the corn patch, presenting himself as an ally to the dream.

With Fraser's money, Cam plants the corn patch and awaits the geese. Soon, Bucky learns of Fraser's deception and informs Cam, triggering a confrontation.

Cam, in a drunken fit, tries to burn the corn patch to derail the profiteers' plan, but Liddy intervenes and saves the patch. The confrontation inflames the town's tensions and tests Cam's resolve.

Not long after, Cam is seriously wounded by a hunter's shotgun blast, a blow that shakes the community and tests the family's resilience. He begins a slow recovery as the town begins to rally around him.

In response to Cam's injury and the threat to Swiftwater, the town rallies and organizes a petition to persuade the federal government to buy the marshland as a preserve. Their effort aims to keep the land out of hunters' hands and protect the geese habitat.

Fraser and his cohorts leave town as the movement grows, and Cam slowly recovers. The community's activism helps turn the dream of a preserve into reality, even as the intrusions fade away.

During the year, Bucky begins to fall for his childhood sweetheart, Bridie Mellott, a local store clerk. The budding romance adds a personal stake to the family's struggle and future plans for the sanctuary.