In the year 1756, Fort William Henry on Lake George is under siege by the French and Hurons under General Montcalm. Alice and Cora Munro, young daughters of the British Commander, Colonel Munro, set out from Albany to join their father at the fort. They are accompanied by Major Duncan Heyward, who has loved Alice for a long time, and by a renegade Huron named Magua. He leads them astray with the view of betraying them into the hands of a wandering party of Hurons, but his plans are foiled by Hawkeye, a Colonial scout, when he and his comrades, Chingachgook and his son Uncas, rescue the party and conduct them safely to the fort. Shortly after wards, Munro surrenders on honorable terms to Montcalm and is permitted to march out of the fort under arms and colors. He is then mortally wounded by Magua during a massacre by the Indians as the fort is being evacuated. Cora and Alice are carried off by Magua and Heyward, aided by Hawkeye, Chingachgook and Uncas, sets out in search of them.
