With measured storytelling and prose both graceful and muscular, American Copper revolves around Evelynne Lowry, daughter of a controlling copper baron; Zion, a huge man who gentles horses and wrestles steers; and William Black Kettle, descendent of Cheyenne peace chiefs. The narrative traces the genocidal colonization of the Cheyenne, America's hidden desire for regeneration through violence, and the rise of big copper. The demands of forgiveness and atonement accompany the magnitude of love.