A system for restoring articular cartilage has a cover, an anchor, and a tether that cooperate to retain graft tissue with respect to a graft site. The cover is attached to the anchor via the tether. The tether passes through a tunnel through a bone to which the articular cartilage is attached. The tunnel connects the graft site to an anchoring side of the bone. The anchor is retained proximate the anchoring side such that tension in the tether keeps the cover in place over the tissue graft to capture the tissue graft at the proper position with respect to the graft site. The cover and/or the anchor may be bioabsorbable. The cover may be perforated to permit fluids to access the tissue graft from outside the cover to enhance incorporation of the graft tissue with the graft site. The cover may be formed of rigid or flexible materials.