The following version of the book was used to create this study guide: Marshall, Joseph. In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse. ABRAMS, New York, NY, 10011, 2015. Kindle AZW file.

Jimmy McClean is a member of the Lakota Indian tribe. He lives near the school with his father James McClean Sr., who is half Lakota, and his mother Anne Little Eagle McClean, who is full Lakota. Jimmy has no idea how to stand up to the two boys who tease him at school, Jesse Little Horse and Corky Brin. Jesse and Corky say Jimmy is not truly Lakota because of his appearance and last name. Jimmy's light-colored hair and skin, his blue eyes, and his last name are all due to his paternal grandfather who was Scottish. Jimmy embraces his Lakota culture but struggles to feel he fits in with others.

Jimmy loves horses and spending time with his maternal grandfather Nyles Little Eagle. Jimmy is intrigued when Nyles tells Jimmy that the great Lakota warrior Crazy Horse also had light hair and skin. Nyles has a suggestion to help Jimmy deal with the boys who tease him by changing how Jimmy looks at things.

Nyles and Jimmy set out on a journey to visit sites that were important to Crazy Horse. Nyles begins to teach Jimmy specifically about Crazy Horse and about the true history and culture of the Lakota people. Nyles's great-grandfather fought alongside Crazy Horse at the Greasy Grass Fight, also known as the Battle of Little Bighorn. Nyles reveals that some of the official accounts of the important battles were wrong. For example, the official record indicates Red Cloud led the Indians in the battle some call the Fetterman Battle, but Red Cloud was not even present.

Nyles stops at various points along the way, urging Jimmy to see the land as Crazy Horse and his peers found it more than 100 years ago. He provides details to make Jimmy understand the lives of the warriors who fought to protect their way of life, including the brutal cold when warriors hid to set up an ambush. Nyles also sets out to help Jimmy understand Crazy Horse as a good man. He brought food for families who did not have a hunter without being asked and without expecting thanks. Nyles talked about the hopelessness of the Lakota fight to keep their way of life and of the factors that prompted Crazy Horse to surrender. Crazy Horse died at Fort Robinson at the hands of a soldier who stabbed him with a bayonet.

Jimmy and Nyles return home after a successful “visionary journey.” When Jimmy returns to school in the fall, he is not surprised that Jesse and Corky immediately confront him. However, they are surprised that Jimmy is calm in the face of their threats. He has grown a little over the summer, meaning he is almost as tall as his tormentors. More importantly, he now has the courage to face them even though he knows that will likely mean he has to fight at some point.