Jack Crabb, a 111-year-old survivor of the American frontier, recounts his life as a white man raised by the Cheyenne and his subsequent encounters with legendary figures of the Wild West. Crabb navigates a shifting identity, oscillating between his upbringing as a Cheyenne warrior and his life among white settlers. His objective is survival and the preservation of his own history, while he faces the violent expansionism of the United States military and the chaotic social landscape of the nineteenth-century frontier. The narrative framework is a first-person oral history, presented as a series of recollections that challenge the traditional myths of the American West. Crabb must contend with the physical dangers of warfare and the logical contradictions of a society that views him as both an outsider and a participant in its most defining conflicts.

Readers and critics frequently highlight the novel's effectiveness in deconstructing the romanticized myths of the American frontier through a lens of dark humor and irony. Discussion often centers on the protagonist's unreliable nature, which serves to emphasize the absurdity of the historical events he describes. The balance between the harsh realities of the Indian Wars and the farcical encounters with Western legends creates a unique atmosphere that keeps the narrative engaging. Many observers note that the prose maintains a sharp, witty tone that prevents the story from becoming overly sentimental despite the tragic subject matter. The work is widely regarded as a significant contribution to the genre for its ability to blend historical accuracy with a cynical, modern perspective on the American experience.