After Mexican raiders attack and kill her family, Siki has no option but to join the male Apache warriors to avenge their deaths - So begins the thrilling tale of courage and survival of Siki and her tribe, the Black Mountain Apache - Although she only young, Siki is taken seriously by the elders as she has the deaths of her mother and brother to avenge. Accepted as a novice warrior she is set numerous tasks and lessons and learns to pass through the pain barrier on her way to becoming a fully-fledged warrior who will serve the Apache Nation - Risks, enemies within, and the 'white-eye' soldiers and settlers test the Apaches. Siki is also personally tested: she has to confront rumours about her absent, possibly dead father. Was he a coward? With the coming of the 'white-eyes', it is easy for readers to see how prejudices grow from simple misunderstandings; how warfare comes from misinformation, fear and differences. There are also many parallels to be drawn between the experiences of the Indigenous Americans and Indigenous Australians.

Siki is an orphan of the Black Mountain Apache. Her mother was killed by Mexicans three years before and her father lost in an ambush the winter before that. When Siki witnesses the brutal murder of her little brother Tazhi, she vows to become an Apache warrior and avenge her brother's death.