Set in 1863, the novel follows Lieutenant John Dunbar on a magical journey from the ravages of the Civil War to the far reaches of the imperiled American frontier, a frontier he naively wants to see "before it is gone".His posting to a desolate and deserted outpost is the springboard for contact with the lords of the southern plains... the Comanche.Though he does not speak their language, has no know-ledge of their customs, and is considered a trespasser, Lieutenant Dunbar finds himself intrigued by the exotic and alien culture of the buffalo-hunting people of the plains.A simple desire to know more about his wild neighbors ignites a great adventure of transformation that culminates with the emergence of a different kind of man... a man called Dances With Wolves. --Provided by publisher.