Lewis, the novel’s protagonist and narrator, is a young, teenage Native American living on a reservation in upper New York State. He lives with his mother and uncle. While most of the housing on the reservation is that of poor families, the Blake home is perhaps the poorest. It is so dilapidated that dogs will wander in through the cracks and holes in the kitchen walls. It is a major source of shame and embarrassment for Lewis’ mother, Vera, such to the point that she will not allow him to bring his friend George to the house.

Lewis struggles with his identity. He wants to be accepted at school instead of singled out because of his ethnicity. Yet, he also does not want to surrender his Native American heritage. Throughout the novel, Lewis attempts to walk the line between the “white world” to which he is exposed at school and his Native American life at home on the reservation. His first step toward leaving the reservation and entering the “white world” occurs when he cuts off his Native American braid. Later, he is fully invited into this world when he becomes friends with George, the son of an Air Force serviceman.