An Iroquois man--known as Uncle to his tribe--recounts a time when white men tried to build themselves a town in near their tribe. He also talks about the specific man that once arrived.

Uncle was sitting in front of his home and building a spear for fishing when he heard shouting. He knew that no one was getting killed so he thought nothing of it until a young boy explained that the people needed him. Uncle meets up with the others and one of the tribe members--BigKiller--explains that they have caught a white man as a prisoner.

Uncle looks at the man and realizes the doesn't look like what he imagined white men to look like. The members that took the man prisoner explained that the white man was a slave for another tribe called the Tuscaroras. Bigkiller asks Uncle if he can speak to the man, but Uncle fails to do so. According to the Tuscaroras, the white man can only speak very little. Uncle does not end up killing the man, but rather asks his sister--a high-ranking tribe member to deal with it. His sister, Tsigeyu, tells the others to take the Tuscarora women that came with the white man as theirs and then tells her brother to teach the white man to speak.

Uncle brings the white man back to his home and watches as he writes in English on animal skins with ink that he made. Uncle teaches the white man some words and in return, the white man introduces himself as Shakespeare. Uncle calls the man "Spearshaker" and is eventually able to talk with him slightly. Spearshaker is popular among many of the tribe members because he sings funny songs and entertains the people. Some of the older tribe members do not like Spearshaker because they think he will kill them all and is dangerous.

A few months later, a tribe of Catawbas came and to everyone's surprise, Spearshaker helped fight them off. After this, more people seemed to like him. Spearshaker also teaches Uncle many words and eventually works on something Uncle calls the "plei." The plei, Spearshaker explains, is where actors perform a story for others. The story is written by someone and this time, Spearshaker is writing a plei.

Uncle watches Spearshaker write his plei and eventually asks him to explain the story to him. Spearshaker is distraught saying that no one will ever see his play. Uncle asks Spearshaker if the members of his tribe could perform it and he agrees. The tribe audience seems to really enjoy the story about the young man seeking revenge after the death of his father--killed by his uncle. However, Spearshaker finds their reactions upsetting. Uncle explains that the audience laughed because they enjoyed the story, not because it was bad. After this, many of the tribe members ask Spearshaker to tell more stories.

The next summer, Spearshaker marries a woman in the clan and is given a house to stay in. Spearshaker's new wife, Cricket, tells Uncle that her husband still writes a lot. No one is sure if he has written another play. Several years later, Spearshaker dies and leaves behind a son named Wili.