When her parents are killed in a raid, 11-year-old Helen Morrison and her younger sister Katy are kidnapped by a band of Comanches. Given the name Tehanita, Helen vows to maintain her white identity and clings tightly to her only possession--the dress she was wearing when captured. She is appalled by Katy's quick adjustment to her new home and family. Helen resists assimilation but she must make a decision. Should she become a woman of the People?