"Johnny Osage" is the son of Hannah Fowler and the brother of Rebecca of The Believers. He comes by his name because of his close friendship with the Osage Indians. His story is told against the background of the old Osage homeland, the present state of Oklahoma, for by 1821 the frontier had moved westward and Johnny, a restless man who preferred the wilderness unspoiled by civilization, moved with it and became a partner in his brother-in-law's trading post.

To such a man, the arrival of the group of missionaries to "improve" the Osages is far from welcome. And to Judith Lowell, the young teacher dedicated to educating Osage children according to the laws of God and the White Man, Johnny's openly expressed admiration for Osage ways is shocking and inexplicable. But both of them are honest and brave enough to dare to open their minds and hearts to convictions other than their own.

The touching love story of Johnny and Judith is set against a dark and bloody background of raids and massacres in the bitter feud between Osages and Cherokees - a feud in which the U.S. Government plays the role of uneasy arbiter.