In 1757, as the French and Indian War grips the wild forest frontier of western New York, the French army besieges Fort William Henry, a British outpost commanded by Colonel Munro. At the same time, Munro's daughters Alice and Cora set out from Fort Edward to visit their father, escorted through the dangerous forest by Major Duncan Heyward, and guided by the Indian Magua. They are soon joined by the psalmodist and singing-master David Gamut. Traveling cautiously, the group soon meets the scout Hawkeye and two companions, Chingachgook and his son Uncas--the only surviving members of the once great Mohican Indian Tribe. Hawkeye reveals that Magua has led the group in the wrong direction, and says that Magua has betrayed them intentionally. The Mohicans attempt to capture the traitorous Huron, but he escapes. Hawkeye and the Mohicans lead the group to safety in a cave near a waterfall, but they are attacked by Huron Indians--Magua's allies--early the next morning. Hawkeye and the Mohicans escape down the river, but Alice, Cora, Heyward, and Gamut are captured and taken away by Magua and his group. Magua reveals that he seeks revenge on Munro for a past humiliation, and proposes that he will free Alice if Cora will marry him. Cora refuses angrily, and suddenly Hawkeye and the Mohicans burst onto the scene, rescuing the captives, and killing all the Hurons except Magua, who escapes. After a harrowing journey beset by Indian attacks at every turn, the group makes it to the English held Fort William Henry on a fog-shrouded night.
They sneak through the French army besieging the fort, and, once inside, Cora and Alice are reunited with their father. A few days later, a truce is called; Munro learns that he will receive no reinforcements for the fort, and is forced to surrender it. He reveals to Heyward that Cora's mother contained negro blood, which explains her dark complexion. Munro accuses
    Heyward of racism for preferring to marry Alice, but Heyward denies the charge. During the withdrawal of the English troops from Fort William Henry, the Indian allies of the French are unable to control their bloodlust, and fall upon the retreating soldiers, slaughtering them. In the chaos, Magua manages to recapture Cora, Alice, and Gamut, and escape with them into the forest. 
    Three days later, Heyward, Hawkeye, Munro and the Mohicans--Uncas has by this point fallen deeply in love with Cora--discover Magua's trail and begin to pursue the villain. They learn through Gamut's reappearance that Magua has split his captives up, holding one in a camp of the Huron and another in a camp of the Delaware. Using deception and a variety of disguises, the group manages to rescue Alice from the Hurons. At the Delaware village, Magua convinces the people that Hawkeye and his companions are their enemies. But Uncas subsequently proves himself a chief to the sage Tamenund, enabling him to defeat Magua's oratory and rescue all his friends but Cora, with whom Magua departs. There is a chase, and a battle; Magua and his Hurons are defeated, but a Huron kills Cora. Uncas kills that Huron, but Magua kills Uncas by stabbing him in the back. The chase continues, and Magua is forced to leap over a precipice, and he dies. Cora and Uncas are buried the following morning. Chingachgook mourns the loss of his son, and Tamenund sorrowfully declares that he has lived to see the last warrior of the noble race of the Mohicans. 

    Last of the Mohicans is a beautiful tale of love and sacrifice. The novel paints the mind with the majestic and rugged wilderness. Through the dangers of the forests and the peril of the French and Indian war a love emerges. There is the excitement of battles and persist accented with growth of love between Hawkeye and Cora. I fully enjoy every page of this novel, it compliments both the die hard romantic and the wilderness girl within me. Suspense, action, tragedy, and love is blended together to, not only, make an amazing plot, but to also keep the full attention of the reader. This novel is hard to set down and stay away from, definitely a page turner. Warning: Once you start into the story, do not expect to get away until page 374.