Chuiraquimba and her brother Taki roamed wild with their father's Guarani Indian tribe in the jungle-like interior of Paraguay until an accident drove them to seek refuge with the black-robed Jesuit priests. 

Abandoned by the tribe when she stopped to help her injured brother, Chuiraquimba found aid only in the little Catholic mission, or reduction. The civilized routine of a community was strange to the two young Indians, but they soon found a way to used their special knowledge and help the men who had befriended them.

Hostile Indians and marauding slave traders swept through Paraguay in the early 1600s, burning the reductions and enslaving the people. Chuiraquimba and Taki, born to the ways of jungle life, sped through the forests, scouting the enemy moves and warning the Jesuits who were in danger. With their help the little settlements managed to avoid total destruction. 

The savage, primitive beauty of the jungle and the quiet fortitude and faith of the Jesuits combine in this exciting story of early South America.

From the dust jacket