Coming to Light interweaves the story of Curtis's life with the results of his work, and through it, we see the world he sought to preserve. Many of the Hopi, Navajo, Cupig, Blackfoot, Blood, Piegan, Suquamish, and Kwakiutl people who knew Curtis or descended from those who worked with him appear in the film, and through their voices, these old, sepia-toned photographs evoke their ancestors' lives, inspiring them to continue their traditions. While Curtis's work is not without controversy, we owe him an enormous debt for constructing a visual "memorial" to the Native North American.