The Eagle's Gift by Carlos Castaneda describes the anthropologist/apprentice sorcerer's trials dealing with memories that gradually emerge from his mind's blanked-out "second awareness," the facility by which sorcerers deal with otherworldly as opposed to everyday phenomena.Carlos learns and shares much about how "the Eagle," a spiritual entity, has over two generations recruited "impeccable" warriors and trained them according to a meticulous "Rule."

The Eagle's Gift reunites Carlos Castaneda, la Gorda, the three little sisters, and "the Genaros" during a strange period in their lives. Carlos' mention of visiting archaeological ruins leads to talk about the second attention and conflict and realignment among the apprentices. Carlos and la Gorda dream together and Carlos begins taking an active part in his own dreaming Doña Soledad reappears, markedly changed, talking about "parallel lines" and the need to remember one's left side. Silvio Manuel's name brings inexplicably dread and vague memories of a rotating "wall of fog," thereafter a major motif. As the group resolves to break up, la Gorda explodes in painful memories, claiming that Carlos is Silvio's slave.

Over the course of two years, Carlos and la Gorda ferret out all they can remember about Don Juan's life and teaching, including the realization that they have each met Don Juan's Nagual woman. They diligently practice dream immersion, master the four levels of dreaming, and learn "not-doing" to "stop the internal dialogue." They spontaneously entering their "dreaming bodies," the "no-man's land" between worlds and parallel lines, and cross over in their whole bodies. They deduce more than they remember and realize that they have bridged their two sides in a minimal fashion.

Carlos recalls Don Juan's teaching about the warrior's "rule," given by the Eagle and perpetuated by seers. The double nature of Naguals, how they are trained and how in turn gather and train a next generation of warriors is examined at length, in terms of Don Juan and Carlos' difficult and differing experiences. A new cast of characters is introduced as Carlos finally recalls Don Juan's warrior team, whom he encounters only on the wiped-out left side. Silvio sees Carlos as an ill-fitting "three-prong" Nagual and dreams a new "master plan." The Eagle dislodges Carlos. Carlos and la Gorda receive last-minute training to survive alone, including the basics of stalking. The old band's departure is surprisingly sorrowful, but the mystery of the apprentices' jump into the abyss is finally resolved.