In an alternate history of the American frontier where folk magic actually works, ten-year-old Alvin Smith and his brother Measure have been rescued by the Shaw-nee tribe and their leader, Ta-Kumsaw, and it’s clear that someone is inciting the other tribes to commit great acts of violence against the settlers. Ta-Kumsaw doesn’t trust the white men because they have lost their connection with the land, but he is amazed by Alvin’s ability to shape the world around him without disturbing the order of nature. And so he decides to take the boys to see his brother, Tenskwa-Tawa, the figure known to many as the “Red Prophet,” and the man responsible for teaching Alvin to use his unique power only to help, and never to hurt.