Cole Matthews Timeline and Summary

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• Cole Matthews is a teenage delinquent who is in huge trouble for beating up a kid named Peter Driscal.
• He's supposed to go to jail, but his parole officer, Garvey, somehow gets him into this program called Circle Justice, which is a Native American form of justice that emphasizes healing rather than punishment.
• So Cole is sent to a remote Alaskan island where he's supposed to spend a year living off the land and reflecting on his mistakes.
• Before he's left there alone, Edwin, a Native American elder, warns him that he has to respect the natural world and that there's a mystical bear called Spirit Bear that might show up. Cole thinks this is all horseradish.
• As soon as Edwin and Garvey leave him, Cole burns down the shelter they've made for him and then starts swimming, determined to make it to the next island and escape.
• Unfortunately for him, the tide keeps pulling him back in, and so after a while, he gets exhausted and has to return to shore.
• While he's trying to figure out what to do next, Cole runs into Spirit Bear. Instead of respecting the creature, though, he tries to kill it and gets mauled pretty badly.
• Cole can feel life drifting away from him as he lies out in the open getting rained on and feeling himself grow weaker, but he refuses to die. He does everything he can to stay alive, including eating his own vomit (yuck) and a live mouse.
• Before he can drift into oblivion, Cole is saved by Edwin and Garvey, who bring him back to Minneapolis and to a hospital to recover.
• During his recovery, Cole asks what will happen to him next, and Garvey tells him that he will probably have to go to jail since he totally squandered his chance on the island.
• Cole is surprised when his mother comes to visit and acts loving, since he's grown up with alcoholic parents. His father—who has been abusive to him—doesn't show up, though, because his mother has pressed child abuse charges against him.
• Despite the fact that he thinks he's going to jail, Cole still asks Circle Justice for one more chance, saying that he's changed and he'll make the most of his experience this time.
• To his surprise, Garvey and Edwin advocate for him, and he returns to the island once he's recovered from his injuries.
• When Cole is back on the island, he has to do everything himself—including building the shelter and cooking every night for Edwin and Garvey while they watch on.
• Edwin also teaches Cole how to do spirit dances at night and how to soak in a cold pond and carry a heavy rock in order to reflect on his life and let go of his anger.
• Then they leave Cole behind and he spends the rest of his time staying busy, taking care of his shelter, becoming more in touch with himself, and reflecting on his mistakes.
• One day Cole finds a log that would make a good canoe. He is tempted to escape, but he ends up using it as a totem pole instead and carving animals that he encounters.
• When Edwin comes by to drop off supplies one day, he is upset and tells Cole that Peter Driscal tried to commit suicide. Cole is filled with guilt and starts thinking about ways he can help Peter.
• Peter tries to commit suicide again, and Cole suggests that he come to the island to learn from his experiences and move on—just like Cole did. He also wants to apologize to Peter and make amends.
• Out of desperation, Peter's parents agree to this idea so long as Garvey comes along to chaperone, and Cole watches as they all arrive on the island.
• At first, Peter refuses to be around Cole or even talk to him, but Cole is persistent and patient and shows him everything he does on the island, including all the rituals he goes through in order to let go of his anger.
• Peter continues to lash out at Cole and even destroys one of the carvings on his totem. Cole refuses to get angry, though, and instead gets Peter his own log so he can start carving, too.
• They start to get along tentatively, but one day, Peter attacks Cole and tries to beat him up, yelling at him to fight back. When Cole doesn't, Peter starts crying.
• The boys are interrupted when they look up and see Spirit Bear standing there, watching them. This experience changes the relationship between them, and Peter and Cole both heal and move on.
• At the end, Garvey comes across Peter and Cole carving together. They have carved a perfect circle onto Cole's totem—the thing that has no beginning or end. Aww.