Daniel Boone was from Kentucky. The place is a metaphor for our westward expansion. The work begins in 1775, when Cherokee hunters roamed the hills of the Cumberland Gap, and ends in 1975, after the unions have lost much of their power. In between are excerpts from almost every major chapter in American history. A Cherokee woman is abducted and raped, and becomes the common ancestor of all three clans.
White pioneers usurp the land and trade in African slaves.
Even Mother Jones makes an appearance. The playwright is saying, 'Here's the story the way we don't like to tell it. Reaction to the play in Kentucky has been mixed. Actors Theatre, for instance, has yet to stage it, though the University of Kentucky mounted a production several years ago. Dixon says he can understand the hurt feelings of some Kentuckians.