The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Erdrich, Louise. The Master Butchers Singing Club. HarperCollins Publishers, 2016.

Louise Erdrich's novel The Master Butchers Singing Club is set in post World War I Argus, North Dakota. The novel spans the decades between the first and second World Wars, and is told in the past tense. Although the author employs various structural and temporal distortions, the following summary abides by a linear, streamlined mode of explanation.

In November 1918, Fidelis Waldvogel returned from World War I to his hometown, Ludwigsruhe, Germany. Determined to keep his promise to his late best friend Johannes, Fidelis married Johannes's fiancé, Eva, who was pregnant with Johannes's child. Roughly three years later, Fidelis moved to America to start a life for his new family. He made his way from Ludwigsruhe to New York, and from New York to Argus, selling sausages out of his suitcase.

Once in Argus, Fidelis began to settle down. He eventually sent for Eva and their child, Franz. Shortly thereafter, the couple opened a butcher shop of their own, called Waldvogel's Meats. They soon became an integral part of the Argus community.

Delphine Watzka moved back to her Argus hometown after spending time on the road with Cyprian and their vaudeville act. Although Delphine and Cyprian loved one another, after Delphine discovered Cyprian was a homosexual, she feared that they would never have the romantic relationship for which she longed. Despite her fears, Cyprian refused to leave Delphine. He loved, cared for, and respected her. When they arrived in Argus, they pretended to be married so as to avoid the town's rumors.

Upon returning to Delphine's father Roy's house, Delphine and Cyprian were met with a heinous odor. While cleaning out the house, they discovered the bodies of the Chavers family in Roy's basement. Because Roy was perpetually drunk, he could not explain what happened. Delphine and Cyprian reported the incident to the local sheriff, Sheriff Hock, and he took an immediate interest in the case.

Delphine became acquainted with Eva while buying meat at her shop. Eva and Delphine immediately got along, and Eva offered Delphine a job. Over the course of the following months, the women became close friends. Meanwhile, Delphine devoted herself to the butcher shop, to her father, and to her relationship with Cyprian.

When Eva fell ill with cancer, Delphine stayed by her friend's side. Eva eventually died, and Fidelis begged Delphine to help him care for the shop and his sons. Delphine soon began spending almost all of her time with the Waldvogel's. Having never had a mother of her own, Delphine felt desperate to love Franz, Markus, Emil, and Erich Waldvogel like her own children.

Over time, Delphine felt weighed by all of her responsibilities to others. Her fatigue complicated her relationship with Cyprian. Although she cared for him, she could not accept his marriage proposal. She had also developed feelings for Fidelis, and was thus unsure how to navigate these various dynamics. Frustrated and hurt, Cyprian left Argus and developed a new vaudeville act of his own.

Delphine and Fidelis eventually confessed their feelings for one another. After Cyprian failed to return to town, Fidelis proposed to Delphine. She accepted.

Shortly before Roy's death, Delphine begged her father to tell her the truth about the Chavers and about her mother. Roy revealed that Delphine's mother had been a member of the Lakota tribe and had survived the Wounded Knee Massacre. He also told her that he had been responsible for locking the Chavers family in his basement as a joke, forgetting about them, and disappearing on a bender.

Delphine eventually settled into her life with Fidelis and the Waldvogel family. When World War II broke out, however, Delphine was terrified and disturbed by the boys' involvement in the conflict.

Delphine never learned the truth, but her real mother abandoned her at birth. A local woman named Step-and-a-Half discovered Delphine abandoned in an outhouse, rescued her, and brought her to Roy. Step-and-a-Half was the woman with whom Roy had been in love, and the woman responsible for saving and caring for Delphine throughout her childhood.