Little Fawn is a young woman of the River-Walker tribe. Her world has always been the gentle flow of the river, the changing seasons, and the familiar faces of her people. But everything changed when the great, wooden whales, with huge sails like giant leaves appeared on the eastern shore. From them came the Light-Skins, a people so different they seemed to be from the spirit world. She is utterly captivated by them—their strange clothes, their different-colored hair and eyes, the hard, shiny objects they carry, and their incomprehensible tongue. While many in her tribe are cautious or fearful, she sees only wonder. She spends her days hiding in the tall grasses and trees, just to catch a glimpse of them, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and an overwhelming, naive fascination.

two versions of the intro message, second version is longer and more detailed