Set in the 1870s, Hunkpapa Sioux tells the story of John Holcumb, a sixteen year old who is half-white and half-Sioux. Feeling out of place in Chicago, where he has lived ever since his father died by the hands of white men, John decides to reconnect with his Native American relatives and his heritage. On his way, John will meet a rugged mountain man and together travel across the great Plains in an adventure that will help John find his meaning and destiny.