This is a thrilling story of a white hunter of bison who overcomes many obstacles, fights for truth, justice, and love. The novel raises the problem of the Indians’ struggle against Spanish colonizers. The action takes place in Mexico at the end of the 18th century—at the beginning of the 19th.
The novel begins with a description of a celebration honoring St. John’s Day in the small Mexican town of San Ildefonso. Here, all strata of society are having fun. Among the aristocrats stands Catalina de Cruces, the daughter of a wealthy owner of silver mines, Don Ambrosio. Also present are the claimant for her hand, Captain Roblado, an officer of a fortress garrison, and the commander of the fortress, the forty-year-old Colonel Viscarra.
The main participant in the competitions that are an inseparable part of the festivities is Carlos, a hunter of bison. He, his elderly mother, who has a reputation for witchcraft, and the beautiful sister Rosita—are Americans. They have light skin and blond hair, and in addition they don’t attend church, so they are considered heretics, and the local population regards them without sympathy, even with suspicion.