In 1889, William Work Carithers went to Oklahoma with two urgent goals—bringing the good news of Christ to the Indians, and helping them gain skills necessary to survive the white culture that was about to engulf them. But he had only twelve years before white settlers arrived on the reservation, 30,000 in a single day.

The effect on the Indian way of life was devastating. The narrative follows Carithers to the end of his life, when his once successful mission begins to falter, and he assesses what has been accomplished.