In 1890, the massacre of Wounded Knee devastates the Sioux Nation. One of the survivors of the onslaught, a sixteen-year-old named White Bird, watches as his parents and his intended are shot dead in front of him, and he vows retribution against the four soldiers responsible for the execution. Ten years later, in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley in California, the young man tracks the men down.

As White Bird sets his plan for vengeance in motion and the first of the men is killed, some old prejudices surface in the community. Tommy Sanchez, the son of sitting Bull, and his wife, Sarah, soon find themselves dealing with discrimination and hatred aimed at themselves and at their children. Their neighbors fear a Sioux uprising. In order to stop the killings and keep his family safe, Tommy must take action and bring White Bird to justice. But safety for him and his family comes at a high price; their lives may never be the same again.

In this novel, a survivor of the Wounded Knee Massacre seeks revenge, while the son of Sitting Bull works to keep the peace between his people and their neighbors.