The story takes place from 2 October 1870 to the first days of January 1871.
Ken, charged with soliciting the dispatch of an agent to the Dakota reservation controlled by Fort Smith , arrives in Washington , where he meets Ely Donehogawa, who has just been appointed commissioner of Indian affairs. Donehogawa, making use of the "testimony" of Ken (a man from the border), decides to bring the "Indian question" to Parliament.
