'' Sovereignty '' alternates between the 1830s and present-day America . The present-day story follows Polson and her return to the Cherokee Nation to help Native American women who have been sexually harassed through the Violence Against Women Act . The only issue is that Polson is a descendant of the Ridge family , the infamous Cherokee family who signed the Treaty of New Echota which transferred Cherokee land to the United States for the state of Georgia . The treaty led to the relocation of the Cherokee people in the land to Oklahoma , contributing to what is known as the Trail of Tears . Polson 's family members are buried in a family cemetery in the Oklahoma reservation
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Sovereignty (play)