"Following the deaths of his parents and sister from smallpox when it first struck in 1633, Ponaim as an orphan becomes an apprentice to Commossuck, the great shaman of the Quinnipiac. So begins the story of how Ponaim would assist and then follow in the footsteps of his mentor as they both struggle to restore the spiritual and physical balance to their world disrupted and threatened by the arrival of the English. As his people face the overwhelming challenges and dramatic changes brought by the colonists, Ponaim would never lose hope that somehow with the aid of the Spirit World, he might find a way for the Quinnipiac to survive"--Back cover.