In 1864, fourteen-year-old Promise Amrose has already experienced more in her short lifetime than most other young people. Abandoned by her father at a young age, and after the loss of her mother, Promise sets out from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Fort Laramie (Wyoming) in Indian Territory with her aunt Hattie to find a father who never knew her. While on their way to Fort Laramie, Promise is kidnapped by stagecoach robbers but is later saved by Squirrel, daughter of Father Fox of the Lakota tribe, and her cousin, Brings Water. While living with and after being adopted by the Lakota tribe, she is given an Indian name: Yellow Star, Giver of Light. Because of tensions arising between the Indian tribes and the white man, Yellow Star is sent to live with Ben Reed, a friend of Father Fox. From there, she begins her long, arduous journey through the Black Hills-sacred land to the Indians-with Ben and her dog, Moon. Will Promise ever find her father? Will she survive through the rugged terrain and seemingly endless struggles in order to fulfill her mission?