In their sixth adventure, Hannah Scott and Pete Belissari travel to Marfa so that orphan Cynthia can go to a "real" dentist and if Pete has his way, he and Hannah can have a nice spin and maybe share a kiss at the fall dance. But nothing ever goes according to plan for these reluctant heroes. Cynthia is kidnapped by an escaped Apache prisoner--He Who Chops Off The Heads Of His Enemies, "Hector" for short--and Hannah and the horseman join a motley posse in hot pursuit.

This odyssey takes Pete and Hannah across Texas and high into the mountains of western New Mexico, where Pete is left for dead and Hannah is captured by Hector as he seeks to join a fleeing band of Apaches.