The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Hokeah, Oscar. Calling for a Blanket Dance. Workman Publishing, 2022.

Oscar Hokeah's novel Calling for a Blanket Dance traces nearly 40 years in the lives of the Geimausaddle family. The novel adheres to a linear structure, yet jumps from era to era in each chapter. The novel is also narrated from the first person points of view of 12 Geimausaddle family members, and thus divides the narrative between each of their distinct voices. The following summary mirrors the novel's overarching structure.

In "Lena Stopp (1976)," Lena was worried about her daughter Turtle. Turtle was married to Everardo, a tempestuous man with a reliance upon alcohol. She told Turtle that the only way to cure his temper was to bring him to his mother. Turtle finally listened to Lena. She, Everardo, and their six-month-old baby, Ever, drove from Oklahoma to see Everardo's parents, Lucia and Javier. On the drive back, border patrol police stopped the family and beat Everardo.

In the months following, Lena tried helping Turtle and her family. She even made Ever a healing quilt. When Lena discovered that Turtle was using Everardo's family's money to get settled after Everardo's attack, she felt hurt.

In "Vincent Geimausaddle (1981)," shortly after Vincent, Lena's ex-husband and Turtle and Lila's father, discovered he had less than a year to live, he got sober. In order to atone for the trouble and pain he had caused his family over the years, he invested in his relationships with his grandsons, Ever and Quinton, in the months preceding his death.

In "Hayes Shade (1986)," when Ever was 10, he visited his uncle Hayes's shop. When Hayes caught him studying a boogie mask, he wondered if the mask might cure Ever's troubles the way it had once cured his boyhood restlessness. Hayes had heard that Ever had been having behavioral issues throughout the past years, particularly following Turtle's and Everardo's split.

In "Lila Geimausaddle-Quoetone (1990)," when Ever was 15, he visited Everardo for the first time in five years. The visit went poorly, and he relied upon his aunt Lila to give him a ride home. On the drive, Lila worried about Ever, hoping his despair did not inspire a reliance upon substances.

In "Quinton Quoetone (1993)," Ever's first cousin and best friend Quinton reflected upon his teenage relationship with Ever. He particularly recalled when they first started receiving their per cap checks from the government. Though they initially used the money for themselves, the cousins eventually devoted the funds to helping their mothers.

In "Yolanda 'Sissy' Chavez (1999)," Sissy regretted her decision not to warn her brother Ever about getting involved with Lonnie Nowater. Ever was in the military, but planned to marry Lonnie when he returned on leave. After Sissy discovered that Lonnie was addicted to meth, she told Ever the truth, but he refused to believe her.

In "Hank Quoetone (2003)," after Hank and Ever ran a local powwow together, Ever told Hank the truth about his fraught relationship with Lonnie. Although Lonnie was a meth addict and had abandoned Ever and their children, Ever blamed himself for the devolution of their marriage.

In "Araceli Chavez (2005)," Araceli was holding a grudge on her cousin Ever. She believed his refusal to attend his father's funeral was selfish and hurtful. However, after Araceli's best friend Jimena married and had a baby with Ever, Araceli's perspective changed. Although the baby only lived three days, she inspired the family to make amends with one another.

In "Leander Chasenuh (2008)," after the group home where Ever was working shut down, he invited one of the boys, Leander, to come and live with him. Ever offered Leander a second chance, and refused to give up on him. The two ultimately granted one another an opportunity for redemption.

In "Opbee Geimausaddle (2010)," Opbee noticed Lena's grandson Ever selling Lena's handmade quilts at a powwow. In the wake of this discovery, Opbee recovered the quilts from the local community members. She believed the blankets had kept the family together.

In "Ever Geimausaddle (2013)," Ever worried about keeping his family together. Because his children were growing up, he wanted a larger forever house where they could all reside peacefully together. He was elated when he was chosen as one of 50 families to receive a house from the Cherokee Nation.