Washburn made a concerted effort to learn the survival skills of the Inuit women and to understand their lives. The process of making caribou skin clothing for herself and her husband is described with great clarity and humour. Though not sharing their language, she sat with the women while they worked, quietly imitating their actions as they scraped and softened the skins and sewed the pieces with skilled hands. She tells of their patience and gentle amusement as they helped her, their curiosity about her way of life, and their generosity in sharing meager resources.