Laughing Boy knew nothing of the white man, grew up worshiping the Indian gods, following the old ways, mastering traditional skills, and exulting in the physical freedom and code of values that were his birthright. Slim Girl knew all too much about the white man. She had been turned by his schools and abuse into a person without a true culture, and converted by lust into a woman who dreamed of money and revenge. She saw Laughing Boy as her only hope and her salvation.