Raised on a Virginia farm owned by none other than George Washington himself, Jim Clyman is already a seasoned frontiersman when he enlists in a legendary trapping brigade along with the renowned mountain men Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith, and Tom Fitzpatrick.
Clyman’s journey into the wild frontier goes awry in his very first year when he survives a ferocious battle with an Arikara tribe that leaves a dozen fellow trappers dead. The Arikara War that follows forces Clyman and his companions to trek even deeper into the unknown frontier in search of furs.
After famously helping Jedediah Smith survive a bear attack by sewing his scalp back onto his head, Clyman is separated from the rest of the brigade and finds himself 600 miles from the safety of the nearest fort. To survive the grueling march, he must put his fate in the hands of Native Americans, without knowing if they will help him or kill him on sight.