On Daniel Tuckers 13th birthday a hawk flies over his familys farm Does the hawk announce a visitor or warn of imminent danger Daniels mother and sister listen for the hawks message while something urgent stirs inside Daniel He is struggling to find his own path between the heritage of his Pequot mother and the customs of his English fatherMeanwhile a new family has moved into the crumbling cabin next door Hiram Coombs cant believe his parents have returned to Vermont now that the Revolutionary War is over Dont they remember the terror of the raid when Indians and Redcoats burned the familys previous farm and kidnapped Hirams uncleWhen Hiram encounters Daniel at the trout stream that separates the two farms he sees only a dirty Injun while Daniel regards Hiram as bufflebrained The arrival of two more unexpected visitors heightens the tensions between the boys and threatens to rekindle the smoldering embers of the war