Maria Gunnoe is a lady who lives in the United States and she cares about nature and clean water. There are big companies that dig for coal in the mountains where she lives, and those companies sometimes make the water dirty by putting things in it that shouldn't be there. This can be very bad for people who live near the mountains because they need clean water to drink and use for other things. Maria Gunnoe doesn't want this to happen, so she talks to people about it and tries to make the companies stop doing it. She also teaches people about how important it is to take care of nature, like trees and animals, and how to make sure the water stays clean. She is very brave and works hard to protect her home and the people who live there.