Summary

Chapter One opens in 1921 with Mollie Burkhart, who was concerned about the disappearance of her sister, Anna Brown. Though Anna had a history of going on “sprees” of dancing and drinking, her long absence was concerning. Mollie and her family were members of the Osage Nation, a Native American tribe whose members enjoyed shares, referred to as headrights, in the vast oil fields below their territory in Oklahoma. The royalties from these headrights likely made the Osage the richest group of people, per capita, in the world. Their wealth fuelled the rise of boom towns in Osage country and led to speculation about the extravagant lifestyle of its residents. Mollie was married to Ernest Burkhart, a white man who had learned the Osage language and cared for her when her diabetes flared up. The couple had two children, Elizabeth and James, and also...