Arthur (Graham Greene (actor)) rises up into the world from beneath the water, in a rural, forested area in Canada. A seaplane arrives, carrying a passenger to a First Nations Indian reserve, where activists are engaged in a loud, chaotic conflict, attempting to block clearcutting on Indian land. The white man from the seaplane is a lawyer, Peter Maguire (Ron Lea), who is representing the band whose land is designated for deforestation. Peter attempts to appeal the court decision which ruled in favor of the logging company, but to no avail.