The action takes place during the Anglo-French war of the 1750s–1760s. The novel contrasts the world of direct, nature-close people with the “civilized” world of predators and egoists.
Cooper’s favorite hero Natty Bumppo in this book is a pathfinder and scout of the English army. He is brave, resourceful, and noble. The book tells of Natty Bumppo’s self-sacrifice after he falls in love with a girl he saved and gives up his own happiness.