Young Caleb Wilson's interest in the Zion Canyon, Utah, began as a non-altruistic one. He is determined to establish his grandfather's claim as the discoverer and proprietor of property in this region. But his contact with the Paiute Indians and the Mormon ""saints"" who had come to convert them broadened his vista. Gradually his yearning to return to the green, cultivated lands of Missouri leaves him and he dedicates himself to this land of multi-coloured cataracts, the domain of the eccentric Virgin River. Good adventure is wedged in to a vivid portrayal of the Mormons and of the land which is now Zion National Park. Primarily a boy's story, The Cave of Shouting Silence maintains the high standard established by the other books in this series.