Tonah Joe, a young Nez Perce Indian man, joins the U.S. Army just prior to World War 1 with plans to scalp a white man and earn a warrior name for himself. At first, battling boredom and life threatening prejudice, Tonah thinks seriously about scalping 3 vindictive American recruits. With the help of a commanding officer he narrowly escapes the stockade and ends up hunting Pancho Villa on the Southern border. It is not long until his sharp eyes and hunting skills, learned from his grandfather, lands Tonah a job spotting for a drunken pilot who is also supposed to be hunting Pancho Villa. There the boy who has never ridden in an automobile learns to fly an aero plane and after a few misadventures in England ends up as a flying ace in France. There he finds a beautiful French girl and battles a vicious German pilot who finds joy in the kill. All of these things cause Tonah to consider the real cost of war. Finally, planning to take his first scalp, Tonah faces an unexpected situation. Adventure after adventure, both tragic and humorous, without overt sex or violence, makes this book an enjoyable page turner.