White Apache

A brutal clash with outlaws leaves a pregnant woman as the sole survivor of a caravan. She is brought to an Apache village, where she dies giving birth to a child. The newborn is cared for by the Apache and his arrival marks the beginning of a cross-cultural life.

The child grows up under Apache care, learning their ways and earning a place in the village. The Apache name him Shining Sky, a symbol of his mixed heritage.

As he grows, Shining Sky catches the eye of Rising Sun, a red neighbor, and they fall into a romance. Their relationship faces prejudice from others who judge him for being white.

Despite Rising Sun's affection, many red neighbors judge Shining Sky for his white heritage and treat him with suspicion. The bias complicates their relationship and pushes him toward both worlds' expectations.

During a joust, Shining Sky accidentally kills a red fellow, shocking participants and spectators alike. The tragedy heightens tensions between the two communities and changes how they see him.

The Apache warn him never to reveal that he was raised among them, fearing white bias would condemn him further. This quiet policy shapes his choices as he moves between tribes and settlements.

In white settlements, Shining Sky proves himself by subduing an ornery horse, earning a steady home and a job on a ranch. He becomes a focal point for curiosity and possibility across cultures.

A white noblewoman is drawn to him, but she becomes entangled with the white men who hunt redfolk. After an argument, she tears her raiment and accuses him of rape, a false charge that derails his life.

Shining Sky is hanged from a tree by white men, and the outcome seems final. A timely intervention saves him when an Apache shaman passes by and cuts him down.

The Apache shaman frees him from the hanging tree, giving him another chance at life. The shaman's action is a turning point as tensions between tribes continue to simmer.

Following the rescue, white settlers attack Apache villages, forcing Shining Sky and Rising Sun to flee again into the frontier. The violence intensifies the already precarious balance between tribes.

Shining Sky and Rising Sun reunite on the run and begin a new life together, conceiving and then having a child who embodies their cross-cultural union. They navigate the dangers of the frontier while building a family.

White men torment Rising Sun and eventually kill her. In a final act of defiance, Shining Sky impales their leader with a spear and, dying, crawls over to her to lie atop her. The circle closes as the white attackers close in on them.

As the end nears, a signal from a white attacker triggers the retreat and the others pull back. Shining Sky and Rising Sun are left in a tense, unresolved standstill.

The couple's baby is hidden near a rock; a passing Apache shaman finds the infant and carries him back to the village. The child is raised within the Apache, ensuring the cyclical nature of the tale.