The Deerslayer is the story of Natty Bumppo, an eighteenth-century woodsman and trapper who believes strongly in the inherent dignity of human life. Trapping and hunting in New York State, Bumppo's philosophy clashes with the brutal ethics of his fellow woodsmen who profit by killing and scalping Native Americans. Bumppo becomes embroiled in the violence of his compatriots as he struggles to help a Native man reunite with his captured wife.