Chapter 1 Summary

The year is 1768, and the story takes place in what will eventually become the state of Maine. It tells the story of a twelve-year-old boy who is left alone in the wilderness while his father leaves to bring back the rest of his family. He must use skills he learns from the Indians who live nearby in order to survive. When he meets a young Indian boy about his own age, they grow together into manhood. In the process, both the parallels and differences between the two cultures are examined.

The story begins with Matt, a twelve-year-old boy, watching his father leave the log cabin the two of them have just built in the new Maine territory in 1769. As his father walks away into the surrounding forest, Matt looks at the one-room cedar log cabin that is now his home. The cabin consists...