The author interweaves the story of Victorio, an American Indian warrior, into the history of the Mimbrenos and their relationship with other Apache bands. He also examines the changing relationships between the Apaches and the US government and the Apaches' struggle to maintain their cultural identity. In what is primarily a life and times study of the plight of the Mimbres in the white man's world, Thrapp condemns the forces that drove Victorio to the warpath.