The following version of this book was used to create the guide: LaPointe, Sasha. Red Paint. Catapult, 2023.

The novel opens with the protagonist Sasha LaPointe, a young Coastal Salish woman, visiting her parents on an Indian reservation near Mount Rainier, in Washington state. LaPointe is planning to ask her parents for permission to take on an important Coast Salish leadership role that involves wearing symbolic red paint. This request stresses LaPointe as her parents had denied her a similar request in the past. The narrative flashes back to LaPointe's traumatic childhood experiences, including sexual abuse, and her subsequent teenage rebellion where she ran away and became homeless.

During this tumultuous time, LaPointe had her first romantic encounter with a kind boy named Richard at a punk rock show. Back in the present day, LaPointe is in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend Brandon. While house-sitting in the countryside, Brandon proposes to LaPointe. Initially swept up in the romance, doubts about the relationship creep in for LaPointe on their wedding day as she secretly reconnects with Richard. After an unexpected pregnancy loss, LaPointe sinks into severe depression and nearly commits suicide. Seeking healing, she immerses herself in the Skagit River in an ancestral ritual. LaPointe also pursues her graduate studies, processing her trauma through writing.Though she wavers, LaPointe ultimately declines Brandon's repeated marriage proposals to focus on her own healing path. When LaPointe's grandmother dies, she feels drawn to purchase her grandmother’s house on the reservation. Here, living alone, LaPointe begins to feel empowered and starts a new band with fellow women musicians. However, Brandon re-enters LaPointe's life, again proposing marriage.

While LaPointe cares for him, she continues to feel conflicted, not wanting to rush into marriage before working through her trauma. Craving a deeper connection to her Coast Salish roots, LaPointe visits the home of her ancestor Comptia, who survived smallpox and married a white settler. Back home, LaPointe requests permission from her parents to wear the red paint, which they finally grant, recognizing her healing journey. In a ceremony on her child’s due date, LaPointe conducts a burning ritual to honor her unborn daughter. She joins her band’s tour, wearing the red paint during performances as a symbol of her survival and renewed strength. LaPointe finds community with the band, choosing her own path forward.