Summary

The novel is narrated in the first person by Virgil Wounded Horse. In Chapter 1, Virgil had driven to the Depot, a tavern on the reservation where he lived, to confront Guv Yellowhawk, a local gym teacher who had a reputation for sexually abusing his students. Virgil had been hired by the father of a girl who Guv had raped to beat him. Virgil waited until Guv appeared and confronted him about his actions. Guv called Virgil names, insulting his mixed heritage. After hitting Guv several times, Virgil considered whether it would be honorable according to Lakota values to let him go, but decided against it, stomping on Guv’s face and knocking out his teeth.

In Chapter 2, Virgil went home to his 14-year-old nephew Nathan. Nathan was the son of Virgil’s sister Sybil, who had died in a car accident. Nathan told...