Readers may already have heard the name Hondo, and interestingly enough, the John Wayne movie from which this novel is adapted was actually inspired by another one of Louis L'Amour's books, so this story exists within a kind of back-and-forth game of tennis, from book, to screen, to book again. This western deals with the Apaches who regard frontiersmen and cowboys as invaders and the drama and conflict that plays out because of it.
Hondo is a fictional soldier in the 1870's whose story begins in the unsettled dust when he realizes that there are likely Apaches around, perhaps watching him. He does end up attacked, and the two Apaches kill Hondo's horse, but he overwhelms them and after slaying them, continues his journey on foot. He crosses paths with Angie Lowe and her young son and goes to her ranch with her, realizing from its state that her husband must not be home, nor has he been home for some time.
Angie and Hondo begin to see a potential relationship unfold, likely since Angie has been alone for some time, and Hondo is such a help around the property. His dog is unkind and trained to smell Apaches. Hondo himself is revealed to be of Native American ethnicity, and he believes that they are in danger, that war-crazed Native Americans could attack at any time. She invites him into her cabin and he falls asleep, leaving her to discover that this Mr. Lane is actually Hondo Lane, a man rumored to have killed three men last year. She decides to take his gun and point it at him, and when she accidentally pulls the trigger, finds out that the gun is empty. Hondo loads it for her and goes back to sleep. Hondo tells Angie of his lost wife, a Mescalero woman who died. He kisses her.
Hondo then finds the site where Company C fought their last fight against Mescalero and Mimbreño Apaches. The Native American soldiers left some bodies in tact, likely those who fought bravely, and the cowards and weaklings, they deface. As he rides along, he thinks of Angie and Johnny back at the ranch. While Hondo is away, the chief, Vittoro, appears to Angie and attacks her, but her son defends her with a gun, hitting Vittoro's soldier. Vittoro rewards the boy for his valor by naming him and preserving their safety.
When Hondo returns to his post, he informs them of the massacre of Company C, and he meets Ed Lowe, a cowardly character who is actually Angie's husband who abandoned them. Hondo heads back toward Vittoro's territory where Vittoro is mentoring Johnny. Vittoro suggests that Angie ought to marry an Apache, but she resists. As Hondo heads toward them on horseback, he notices a cloud of dust on the horizon behind him and suspects he is being followed. Behind him, Phallinger, a card cheater, rides with Ed Lowe, who wants to kill Hondo. Meanwhile, Vittoro brings Angie a list of suitors who perform for her in a "Squaw-Seeking" ceremony. She begins to craft an escape plan.
The next morning, Sam wakes Hondo and senses Apache warriors, so when Ed Lowe comes to his camp to kill him, it's Apaches who are waiting for him, and Hondo helps him, but realizing that Hondo's horse was the only hope for his survival, Lowe attacks Hondo, and Hondo kills him. On his way to the ranch, Angie's primary suitor, Silva, captures Hondo. He's surprised to learn that Hondo speaks Apache, and Hondo taunts him for a quick and merciful death, and finding that Silva will not be merciful, he commits himself to die well, silently and without giving them the pleasure of his screaming. Besides, he knows maybe some Apache will recognize him and let him live.
Vittoro commends Hondo for his taunts. Hondo and Vittoro know each other already from a treaty council which Vittoro regrets. Hondo thinks of death and the beauty of the desert and the mountains. Silva begins to torture Hondo by putting hot coals in his hands, but then one of the warriers finds Hondo's picture of Johnny, Vittoro's sworn blood-brother and adopted son. Silva demands a one-on-one to settle it. Hondo wins the fight and offers Silva a choice: live or die? Silva begrudgingly accepts Hondo's mercies. Vittoro allows Hondo to go to Angie who claims he is her husband. Vittoro demands that Hondo raise Johnny according to Apache tradition, and Hondo accepts.
In the desert, Hondo is forced to kill a violent apache, and Vittoro demands that Johnny also beat the dead body in accord, which Johnny does. Hondo gives him approval. Vittoro later tells Hondo that the army is coming back, and Hondo decides to stay with the Apaches.
The cavalry dines with Hondo and discusses Vittoro. Hondo says that Vittoro is formidable and they ought to proceed with great caution. It comes out that Hondo killed Angie's real husband, Ed Lowe, but for now, the company moves on, and Hondo and Angie are left to think. Hondo tries to leave for fear of troubling Angie, but she convinces him to stay. Vittoro does indeed attack the company, but dies, leaving Hondo under Silva's authority. Silva pursues the company, but this time Hondo helps the army to outwit Silva, and eventually, he kills Silva. He thinks of life back on the ranch with wife and child.
