When the owner of Oregon's largest cattle ranch - the Four Arrows - is shot by his horse in a freak accident, Royal Leckner suddenly finds himself charged with teaching the owner's retarded son to take over management of the ranch. The son, Leviticus Perrault, comes as part of an unmatched set, which includes Toofer, a man split between bickering Confederate and Union personalities; Tommy Two Hearts, half-white, half-Indian, and half-paralyzed; and Lou(ella), and idiot savant. With the help of some cowhands and an uppity lady accountant, Royal and his crew try to run the ranch despite the conniving of the entire county. The magic and humor of The Four Arrows Fe-As-Ko lie in the charming gusto of its narrator. Looking back on his 1890s youth from the vantage point of his 1930s old age, Royal laughs at himself more than at anyone else.