Clearwater is a moving story that focuses on the Suquamish Tribe and its relationship to the Salish Sea in Puget Sound. Community members tell their personal narratives of why the sea is important to them and the memories they have of the water. Some members of the tribe, like Lydia Woods, are concerned about not being able to catch fish for food because of the declining health of the sea, while others feel a connection to their ancestors through the sea. The Suquamish Tribe did not have a major river within their territory, so they relied on the Salish Sea for hunting and fishing as well as for traveling and gathering medicine. For many members of the tribe, the sea is their identity, even to the point of being named after a ship that sailed the sea. The film portrays the ties that bind people to their environment.