Gwynne tells the story of the Comanche tribe's rise to power in the Old West. They were a tribe of warriors, whose battle tactics kept becoming more advanced. Comanche braves could ride their horses bareback, the most legendary riders among their rivals. Crafting increasingly effective weapons, they dominated their enemies in battle with lances and archery. From a young age, the boys were taught the skills for warfare and horseback riding, ensuring they would be prepared to master the arts by the time they were eligible to fight.
The Comanche became so adept in battle that they prevented the Spanish from advancing into Texas from Mexico and the French from moving west from Louisiana. They pushed the frontier boundary backward, nearly single-handedly, although the tribe was huge and expansive by this time. The Texas Rangers form in response to the threat, inventing the six-gun to combat these fearsome warriors. Until the Civil War, the Comanche continue to play a pivotal role in the development of the west. The U.S. government, in response, begins massacring the buffalo, the natives' main source of food. Coupled with the construction of the transcontinental railroad, the loss of the buffalo proved destructive to the Comanche tribe whose population began to dwindle.
Then along comes Cynthia Ann Parker. She grew up in Texas and was kidnapped by the Comanche at age nine. Learning to adore the people, she became a sort of legend among them. She was known as the "White Squaw." In 1836 she was recaptured by the Texas Rangers, despite her protests. They did not come before the birth of her son, Quanah, however. Growing up with a vengeance for the white people, Quanah became the most important warrior of his people. In the face of the ever inevitable destruction of their tribe, Quanah wreaked havoc on the settlers in the Texas Panhandle, a last and legendary resistance of the Comanche before they're wiped out.
