Coyote, the trickster, creates the world and all the creatures within it. She is able to control all events to her advantage until a funny-looking red-haired man named Columbus changes her plans. He is unimpressed by the wealth of moose, turtles, and beavers in Coyote's land. Instead, he is interested in the human beings he can take to sell in Spain.

Native American author Thomas King reinterprets the entire Columbus conquest mythology as a trickster tale, making the point that history is influenced by the culture of the reporter.