Summary

Prologue. Henry Burger and his friend, Lloyd, are drinking at the Border Beer bar close to a Sioux Indian reservation in North Dakota. Burger's girlfriend, Jeannette McVay, is a white woman who lives and works on the reservation. Burger has noticed Jeannette is becoming increasingly distant, and he's sure she's planning on leaving him. Burger's friend Lloyd enjoys Burger's discomfort and is adding to it by making sly suggestions insinuating Jeannette is interested in another man. This is Lloyd's way of getting back at Burger for Burger's refusal to give Lloyd money for one of Lloyd's crazy business schemes. Throughout the night, Burger keeps drinking heavily as Lloyd harps on Jeannette leaving Burger and that her new boyfriend is a Sioux Indian - not a white man like Burger. When Burger finally leaves the bar to go home, he is very drunk. So drunk, in fact...