THE EAGLE'S CLAW: A Saga of Love and Cultural Conflict in Post WWII New Mexico

The Eagle's Claw is a tale of conflict between two young men who grow up on the Edge of Mountain Apache Indian Reservation in southern New Mexico. Román Otero, a half-breed orphan, is raised by a grandmother feared as a witch. Cane-Woman hates the whites, considering them conquerors. As a result, Ro wants nothing to do with them. Jose Peyote, a full-blooded Apache Marine veteran eagerly embraces the "outside" world and seeks its acceptance.
In the years following the close of World War II, Ro is reluctantly pulled into the orbit of the Chandler family, owners of the J-Bar-C Ranch abutting the reservation. Jose grows disillusioned by the prejudice and rejection he encounters in Terreon, the nearest town. As Ro grows out of his "shell," Jose retreats into one. Conflict arises when Jose is hired by Jim Chandler as a hand on the ranch. A drunken encounter with Paul, the Chandler's son, escalates to the point Jose and the rancher engage in a bloody fight.
The two Indians square off against one another when Ro understands the depth of Jose's thirst for revenge while the Chandlers assume he can be ignored. As romance blooms between Ro and Teresa, the Chandler's daughter, the situation with Jose becomes increasingly inflamed ... and deadly.