Younger Brother, a Tewa Pueblo Indian boy, lives in a remote time in what is now New Mexico. His strongest desire is to grow up to be a great warrior or hunter and to win an honorable name. He is nearly killed by a mysterious black arrow, when as part of the Indian ceremony of becoming a man, he goes to the Sacred Mountains to deliver a prayer plume. Finally, Younger Brother performs a breathtaking act that saves his village from destruction and wins him a name. Only then does he learn who tried to thwart him with the dark arrow. The character of Younger Brother can be recognized in his descendants, who still live in pueblos along the upper Rio Grande.

Young Adult.