-More than four centuries ago, around eastern Ohio, there was a tribe in the Mahoning River Valley called the Salt Springs, which was a part of the Erierhonon, a larger nation centered around the Great Lakes. These people were hunters, planters, and warriors. Almost none of them had ever seen a white man or a horse.

Most of the able-bodied young men of the Salt Springs tribe were divided into hunters or warriors, with the hunters being far fewer in number. Among the hunters was a leader by the name of Dark Moon. Another young man by the name of Red Eagle was the leader of the warriors. The two men were the same age and both yearned for the heart of Calling Dove, known to be the most beautiful young woman of the entire Erierhonon.

Both men were being considered by the rest of the Salt Springs tribe to succeed Big Hand, the aging chief. Ghost Hawk is a story of rivalry between Dark Moon and Red Eagle for political and personal gain. It is a story of love, violence, and dishonor. And the ghost hawk witnesses it all from high in the distance-these acts of bravery, love, and treachery among the two men who forever changed the Erie nation.