Content Warning: Canyons explores concepts such as racism, colonialism, and violence against children. 

Coyote Runs is a 14-year-old Apache boy living with his mother in a village near a cattle ranch. Coyote Runs is excited because the next day is his first raid, which will make him a man in the eyes of his community, allowing him to find a wife and own his own horse. An older man named Magpie comes out of his tent and teases Coyote Runs lovingly about the upcoming raid. Magpie also agrees to loan Coyote Runs one of his ponies for the raid. Coyote Runs decides to double-check all his equipment for the next day, as he will soon become a man. 

The second chapter shifts perspectives to Brennan Cole, who, like Coyote Runs, is 14 years old. Brennan is a white child living with his single mother in El Paso, Texas. Brennan is obsessed with running, to the extent that he “was the color of rich, burnt leather” due to the Texas sun (9). Brennan likes to run not to stay in shape or to train for anything, but because running allows him to be alone and authentically himself, and he has made running the center of his young life.