Though "Saint Marie" is a story told largely in chronological order, it is simultaneously told through a flashback. An older Marie Kaspaw outlines the events that took place during her fourteenth year as Marie Lazarre, a young girl wishing to enter a local convent. As narrator, Marie provides subtle clues that the event is a disastrous one yet withholds enough information to keep readers interested in plot development. Through use of realism and evocative visual imagery, Erdrich captures the contemporary audience.