Captain William Clark leads a band of militiamen and volunteers. They're going to the Upper Mississippi to stop the British and their Sauk Indian allies from taking control of the fur trade.
Meanwhile, a group of down-on-their-luck fur trappers escape their Arikara captors and begin an arduous overland journey.
Further east, Black Hawk breaks with the larger Sauk Tribe and sets out on his own to end the white threat to his people once and for all. 
It all leads to a thrilling and action-packed conclusion to this 3-volume, 'War of 1812-leg' of the overall Mountain Man Series.
The action will continue with Book XIII.