Old Shatterhand meets the white hunter, Sans-ear, whose ears were cut off by the Navaho. He is pursuing the murderer of his wife and child, a white villain. While their first meeting is not friendly, by the time they rescue a train from the Oglala, Sans-ear and Old Shatterhand become close friends. Their journey leads through the Llano Estacado, where they have to rescue Old Shatterhand's friend from the bandits, and where Old Shatterhand creates rain out of nothing. In pursuit of the murderer, they have to travel to the gold fields of California. However, they have to cross the hunting grounds of the Comanche, who are riding to the grave of their chief whom Winnetou killed in a duel. After many adventures the Shoshone team up with Old Shatterhand, Winnetou, and Sans-ear to capture the white villains.
This unabridged English translation retains the exciting adventures, and the strong moral conviction of May's original book, while modernising the style, and editing parts that were erroneous or may evoke bad associations. With this editing the core of May's world, the action, the dreaming of heroic deeds, and the struggle for a kind of justice have become more emphasised, and more accessible to the modern reader.
