This is the story of Will Ramsey who is known anongst the indians as Horse Trader and amongst his adopted Cherokee family as Cherokee Trader. In 1785 he takes his teenaged brother Abe from their western Virginia farm and heads south into the land of the Cherokee to trade for horses. Along the way they run into many life and death situations that soon make a man out of the green farm boy. When they reach the village of Chief Ground Thumper Will descovers his friend and blood brother Chief Blackhawk has had his village destoried and most of his people killed. The remaining are forced to move to Ground Thumpers village and Blackhawk is left a Chief without a tribe to lead. Will talks the chief into moving north to live on the farm of his father and raise his family amongst the whites. This proves to be an interesting jounery for the family of Chief Blackhawk.