Cloyd is a 14-year-old illiterate runaway who finds his father lying brain-dead, ignores his Ute heritage yet resents those who tread on his culture, and deliberately hurts the only man who ever cared for him. He watches helplessly as a hunter he despises brutally kills one of the wild creatures, a grizzly bear, that he truly respects. His mentor nearly dies in his arms but survives, only to face withering away in an old folks’ home. At each disaster, Cloyd picks himself up, learns from his mistakes, and resolutely follows his grandmother’s advice about being a good person. He also remembers Walter’s words, that “the hurt you get over makes you stronger” (70) and rises up from heartache to dedication.

Cloyd’s great hope is that if he can find his birth father, he’ll have a family. That dream dies at Leeno Attcity’s hospital bed. With nothing to aim for, he simmers with resentment until he discovers the carved bearstone in a cave and resolves to embody the inspiring spirit of his Ute ancestors. His new goal is to climb high into the mountains, where the sacred bears dwell, and stand atop the peaks and see the world as the Ancients once did.