Super Short Summary

The Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper tells the story of three interlocking characters in the frontier town of Templeton, New York, between 1793 and 1794: Nathaniel “Natty” Bumpo, an elderly woodsman who clashes with civilization; Judge Marmaduke Temple, a wealthy landowner seeking to balance growth and environmental respect; and Oliver Edwards, a young man with a mysterious past. Much of the plot revolves around the conflict between Bumpo and Temple over the imposition of law and the unraveling of Oliver's secrets.