Gerry Smith grew up in a small town about fifty-five kilometres from Temagami, the hometown of his long-absent father, Dale King. But he’s never met the once-legendary hockey player. Even after Gerry, as an adult, reconnects with his Anishinaabe relatives on his dad’s side of the family, Dale remains a mystery — a missing puzzle piece and a mythic villain. It’s not until his late twenties, juggling a commercial pilot career, a troubled marriage, and a young son of his own, that Gerry gets a call from Dale. Meeting for the first time in a dodgy sports bar in Toronto, Dale pitches Gerry on a dangerous but lucrative business venture, setting in motion an unlikely partnership that will test how far both father and son will go in the name of family.

Drawing on both Anishinaabe storytelling and film noir influences, The Return of the Nish explores the tragedy of lost opportunities, the cyclical nature of time, and how people and places return to us in new lights.