When the Comanche kill his father, twelve-year old Steve is left in the wilderness to build a home for his absent mother and younger brother, Pete. Alone, Steve has to fight the wilderness, the weather, wild animals, and his fear to survive. He continues his father's friendship with the visiting Cheyenne. Reunited with his mother and brother at Bent's Fort on the Arkansas river, the three develop the homestead and fight off the Comanche.
