The study explores the interpersonal tensions that develop in an exceptionally intimate and ambiguous cross-cultural relationship--that of Alaska's urban boarding home parents and the Athabascan Indian and Eskimo adolescents placed in their homes while attending urban secondary schools. Many of the students are from remote Alaskan villages which do not have high schools. From the perspective of social exchange theory, this study considers how the mutual exchange of rewards and costs in the boarding home parent-student relationship influences each party's level of satisfaction. Rather than focusing on the characteristics of rural students who successfully adjust to the urban environment, attention is given to the characteristics of boarding home parents who develop satisfactory relationships with students. The method of obtaining information consisted primarily of interviewing boarding home parents and students. Three recommendations were made: (1) a system of high school options is needed in rural secondary school planning; (2) as other secondary school alternatives become available to rural students, the Boarding Home Program should become much more selective in the types of boarding home parents chosen; and (3) the role of the boarding home parents should be defined in a way that confirms the status and legitimate authority of the student's natural parents. In the 3 appendixes, test scores are presented in tabular form, methodology is discussed, and the interview forms are shown. (FF)