A man's word is the cornerstone of his character according to Ezekiel, Jeremiah's adopted father and mentor. Raised among the Arapaho with values according to their culture blended with the standards of a runaway slave and the remnants of the memory of his natural father, Jeremiah must now take the measure of his own character. After a tragedy that sweeps through the village of his wife's people and their own home, Jeremiah gives his word to Black Kettle and joins with his life-long friend, Broken Shield and sets out to find their new winter home. With the only possible site lying between the land of their avowed enemies, the Kicked in the Bellies Crow nation and the territory of the marauding Blackfeet, the two friends land in the middle of a battle between these two sworn adversaries.

With the responsibility of the fate of the entire Arapaho village resting upon them, and opposition from both nature and enemy forces, they must overcome unimaginable obstacles for Jeremiah to prove that his word and his promise are the measure of a man with character that refuses to be compromised or defeated.