Eleven-year-old Marty is downright tired of being afraid. With a panther attack haunting his memory, Confederate soldiers hiding just south of his farm in New York, and the biggest bully this side of the Appalachians eager to destroy the crops and pummel his hide, there's plenty to fear. He needs a real weapon-an Indian bow. And it wouldn't hurt to have a friend either-one who would share his dream of being brave, one crazy enough to fight alongside him, one who'd stick with him whether or not they shared the same skin color. But when tragedies plop the responsibility for the family farm square on Marty's shoulders and give the bully a chance to destroy everything, will a bow, a friend, and The Panther Indian Pact give him the courage to face his sworn enemy?