Rudi Jenkins is a young man of Native American descent. At the bedside of his dying father in a local hospice, he realizes he is looking at a stranger and asks himself, "Who is this man?"

Through Smiley Jenkins final words and the familys coming to terms with his life and demise, a history of the trials and tribulations of the Potassett tribe - a Connecticut branch of the Pequots - unfolds from the genocide at Mystic in colonial times to the present world of casino gambling. Smileys wife Martha, his two sisters, Uncle Bumps and Iris, an engaging young anthropologist from Columbia University, along with a host of local characters all contribute to unraveling the mystery of Blood Creek. Potassett is a saga of greed, love, hate and the role of culture and environment in fulfilling human needs.