This novel encompasses a broad brushstroke of modern Lakota life. It is a fictional account of a young man, Jack, raised in Boston who was adopted at a very early age from destitute Lakota parents who lived on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The book follows Jack's journey back to the reservation and the rediscovery of his heritage, with the help of an elder of the tribe, who is a holy man, and the elder's daughter, an instructor at the Lakota Oglala College. Intertwined in this story of Lakota culture and spirituality is the mysterious theft of a sacred pipe which contributes to the development of Jack's relationship with the elder and his daughter.
The story provides a unique travelog perspective through Jack's visits to sacred Lakota sites spanning from Nebraska to Montana.