From the publisher:
"Someday, foreigners will come who will reveal the mysteries of the spirit world." It seems clear to fourteen-year-old Kyemap that this ancient Lengua prophecy is fulfilled by Barbrooke Grubb. Kyemap wants to accept the missionary's teachings. But he fears the powerful witch doctors whose superstitious murders threaten the tribe's very survival.
Kyemap's older cousin Poit takes an interest in the Englishman, too, offering to help him reach other Paraguayan tribes. But Kyemap knows his cousin only too well and suspects Poit is up to no good. Then Grubb takes a trip home, and Poit agrees to watch his herd of cattle. But Poit soon becomes impatient, butchering some cattle and holding feasts to impress tribal leaders. When Grubb returns and asks to see the herd, Poit leads him deep into the treacherous Jaguar Swamp. Kyemap fears the worst. Must he betray his cousin to protect the man whose message could save the Lengua people? Torn between his family and his future, Kyemap seeks the truth...