ISLAND COWGIRLS weaves parallel portraits of two wāhine paniolo (Hawaiian cowgirls), DeeDee Bertlemann and Lani Cran Petrie living on opposite sides of the Hawaiʻi island, who both face uncertain futures as ranchers working on state managed lands with expiring leases. With the coronavirus pandemic, erupting volcanoes, and encroaching real estate developers impacting their lives, they seek to preserve their paniolo way of life while creating an environmentally and economically sustainable future for their children.