In the first novel of the Spirit Bear series, Touching Spirit Bear, Cole is arrested for attacking and permanently injuring a boy named Peter after Peter had reported Cole for theft. An elder from the Tlingit tribe named Garvey took an interest in Cole, seeing himself in the youth, and urged the courts to allow Cole a second chance through Tlingit tradition. Cole was taken to Circle Justice meetings and sent to live on an Alaskan island alone, where he nearly faced death several times. During his time on the island, Cole was attacked by a Spirit Bear, a large white bear that is a sacred animal to the Tlingit people. Because he survives, he learns to see outside himself and to empathize with the world around him.

Cole develops a bond with the Spirit Bear and even touches it at one point. To help heal the damage he caused Peter, Cole invites Peter to the island. Their time together is rough and awkward at first, with Peter even attacking Cole at one point. However, Peter learns to forgive Cole and sees that Cole was traumatized by how his father treated him.