A young man named Ikkemotubbe lives in a small Native American settlement along the Mississippi River. He is considered the best dancer, rider, and drinker in the settlement. As he gets older, he falls in love with a young woman in the tribe. He attempts to win her over by giving her brother and aunt gifts, but the family continues to reject him. When a steamboat pilot and fiddler named David Hogganbeck stops by, he falls in love with her, too, abandoning the steamboat to compete for the young woman's affection. The men, along with a third named Log-in-the-Creek, hang around on the woman's porch until her aunt scares them off. Log-in-the-Creek, who's known for lying around, stays on the porch, becoming something of a fixture at the home, where he lays on the ground playing his harmonica. Ikkemotubbe and David plan to honorably compete for the hand of the woman, planning a series of contests. They hold an eating competition that David wins, but because he is a much larger man than Ikkemotubbe, he doesn't feel that it was a worthy victory. Instead, they plan a 130 mile race to a distant cave, where they must shoot a pistol into it first in order to win. They head out, staying relatively close together. Ikkemotubbe begins to edge ahead, but he doesn't run too far ahead, not wanting to leave David behind to fend for himself. They take care of each other along the journey, helping each other when they trip and finding food for each other. After several days, Ikkemotubbe arrives at the cave first. Right as he is about to shoot his pistol, David runs into the cave as well. Ikkemotubbe's bullet hits the cave ceiling, causing a cave-in. David gets buried but Ikkemotubbe helps him out. On his way back to the settlement for help, another Native American finds him with a horse and tells him the news: despite Ikkemotubbe's victory, the young woman has chosen Log-in-the-Creek, unimpressed by the other men's competitions. Defeated, David and Ikkemotubbe head out on the steamboat. A year later, Ikkemotubbe returns laden with riches he's gotten from around the country and wielding a cruel new disposition, leading him to get the new name Doom.