Caleb was the first Indian to attend Harvard in the 1660's. The author takes that and the surrounding facts and turns it into a sweeping tale involving the English occupation of martha's vineyard, the belief in Christ and the beliefs of the Indians, the male dominant society and the ability of one woman to progress and speak her mind. It took me a little while to figure out the language style of the 1600's. Some parts were slow and I glazed over some details every now and then and had to reread, but overall, a great book!