In 1868, following the signing of the Medicine Lodge Treaty, things are not going well for the Kiowa. Their promised lands went to another tribe, their promised goods have not arrived, and the bored and tense warriors are becoming more and more unruly. When the Indian agent once again fails to live up to his promises, he is run off by the Kiowa and the agent's assistant sends them off to Ft. Larned to receive their annuities." "All the while, Tay-bodal - a healer and member of the Rattle Band - is enduring a personal crisis. A flight with his wife has escalated to the point where he has moved out, his wife is seen with a very eligible bachelor, and divorce seems inevitable. Tay-bodal is therefore not in the best frame of mind when he is called upon to investigate a murder among the bands. Three Elks, a fond acquaintance of Tay-bodal and son of another chief, has been murdered. The one accused of killing him is a member of the Rattle Band, and to make matters worse, he is the same man who has been plotting to steal Tay-bodal's wife. Unless Tay-bodal can put aside his own dislike and prove that the accused is innocent - and quickly - there will be war between the bands, tearing apart what remains of the Kiowa Nation.