The story is set in New York State in 1757 during the French and Indian War. It tells of the adventures and dangers Natty Bumpo and his two Indian friends, Uncas and Chingachgook, face as they lead Cora and Alice Munro through the wilderness between Albany and Lake George to their father at Fort William Henry. The siege of the British fort by French and Indian forces, its fall, and the subsequent Massacre at Fort William Henry are historical events against which the action takes place.