The central story in this brief political allegory is presented twice, first in expository form by a narrator, then in more dramatic form by a cast of three characters. Set on Seneca Lake in Central New York, it is based partly on a real Indian legend and partly on a fictitious tale which Cooper endowed with some of the qualities of legend. For centuries Seneca Lake has periodically emitted loud explosive sounds, detonations from what the white settlers call "The Lake Gun." This documented phenomenon has never been scientifically explained, but the Indians consider it the voice of the Manitou, their god. Equally mysterious is the author's invention called the "Wandering Jew," a tree trunk that is said to have floated for ages on the lake, moved back and forth by winds and currents. Early in the nineteenth century one Fuller, a traveler in the Finger Lakes region, hears accounts of the "gun" and the "Jew," and sets out to investigate these two wonders of nature. For this purpose he engages a small sailboat owned and operated by an aged mariner, Peter, who is well acquainted with both of these phenomena. Together the two men cruise along the shore of Seneca Lake looking for the "Wandering Jew," which Peter has not seen for the past three years, and listening to tales about the area told by local residents.