Hawkeye saves a settler from the French trader who kidnapped her, but killing him prompts revenge from the trader's Huron allies.

The French have laid siege to the British fort, and rumor has it that they are bringing up an enormous cannon.

The brother of a man Taylor had executed seeks revenge by luring the captain and Elizabeth on a business expedition that will lead to their capture by the French.

An enigmatic French prisoner intrigues Hawkeye, who begins to believe that the soldier may not be what he seems.