In the wars between the British and French for the possession of American lands (1755-1763), opponents repeatedly used the feuds of Indian tribes. The time was difficult, cruel. Dangers lay in wait at every turn. And it is not surprising that the girls who were traveling accompanied by Major Duncan Hayward to the commander of the besieged fortress were worried. Alice and Kora were especially worried - that was the name of the sisters - the Indian Magua, nicknamed the Cunning Fox. He volunteered to lead their supposedly safe forest trail. Duncan reassured the girls, although he himself began to worry: were they really lost?
Fortunately, in the evening, travelers met Hawkeye - this name was already firmly entrenched in St. John's Wort — not just one, but with Chingachguk and Uncas. Native American lost in the afternoon in the forest ?! Hawkeye has been alerted far more than Duncan. He offers the major to grab the conductor, but the Indian manages to slip away. Now no one doubts the betrayal of the Indian Magua. With the help of Chingachgook and his son Uncas, Hawkeye brings travelers to a small rocky islet.
In continuation of a modest dinner, “Uncas provides Kore and Alice with all the services that were in his power." It is noticeable - he pays more attention to Cora than to her sister. However, the danger has not yet passed. Attracted by the loud wheezing of horses frightened by wolves, the Indians find their refuge. Shootout, then - melee. The first onslaught of the Hurons was repelled, but the besieged ran out of ammunition. Salvation is only in flight - unbearable, alas, for girls. It is necessary to swim at night, on a rapids and cold mountain river. Bark persuades Hawkeye to flee with Chingachgook and bring help as soon as possible. Longer than other hunters, she has to convince Uncas: Major and sisters are in the hands of Magua and his friends.
The abductors and captives stop on a hill for rest. The sly fox reveals to Kore the purpose of the abduction. It turns out that her father, Colonel Munro, once brutally insulted him, ordered to be carved for a booze. And now, in revenge, he will marry his daughter. Bark indignantly refuses. And then Magua decides to brutally crack down on the prisoners. Sisters and majors are tied to trees, firewood is laid out nearby. The Native American persuades Cora to agree to at least feel sorry for her sister, very young, almost a child. But Alice, upon learning of Magua's intention, prefers a painful death.
Fierce Magua throws a tomahawk. The hatchet sticks into the tree, nailing the girl’s lush blond hair. The major breaks free from the fetters and rushes at one of the Indians. Duncan is almost defeated, but a shot is fired and the Indian falls. It arrived in Hawkeye and his friends. After a short battle, the enemies are defeated. Magua, pretending to be dead and seizing the moment, runs again.
Dangerous wanderings end safely - travelers reach the fort. Under cover of fog, despite the besieging forts of the French, they manage to get inside. The father finally saw his daughters, but the joy of the meeting was overshadowed by the fact that the defenders of the fort were forced to surrender, however, on conditions that were honorable to the British: the vanquished retain banners, weapons and can freely retreat to their own.
At dawn, the garrison, burdened by the wounded, as well as by children and women, leaves the fort. Nearby, in a cramped wooded gorge, the Indians attack the convoy. Magua again abducts Alice and Cora.
On the third day after this tragedy, Colonel Munro, along with Major Duncan, Falcon Eye, Chingachguk and Uncas, inspect the site of the battle. Following barely noticeable traces, Uncas concludes: the girls are alive - they are held captive. Moreover, continuing the inspection, the Mohican reveals the name of their captor - Magua! After conferring, friends set off on an extremely dangerous path: to the homeland of the Sly Fox, in an area inhabited mainly by the Hurons. With adventures, losing and again finding traces, the pursuers finally find themselves near the village of Huron.
Here they meet the psalmist David, who, using his reputation as a moron, voluntarily followed the girls. From David, the colonel learns about the situation of his daughters: Alisa Magua kept at his place, and sent Koru to the Delaware living in the neighborhood on the Huron lands. In love with Alice, Duncan wants to get into the village at all costs. Pretending to be a fool, with the help of Hawkeye and Chingachgook changing appearance, he goes on reconnaissance. In the Huron camp, he pretends to be a French healer, and, like David, the Hurons allow him to go everywhere. To the horror of Duncan, the prisoner Uncas is brought to the village. At first, the Hurons take him for an ordinary prisoner, but Magua appears and recognizes the Swift Deer. The hateful name provokes such anger of the Hurons that if it weren’t for the Sly Fox, the young man would be torn to pieces on the spot. Magua convinces his fellow tribesmen to postpone the execution until morning. Uncas is taken to a separate hut. To the doctor Duncan, the father of a sick Indian woman seeks help. He goes to the cave where the patient lies, accompanied by the girl's father and tame bear. Duncan asks everyone to leave the cave. The Indians obey the demand of the "doctor" and leave, leaving the bear in the cave. The bear is transformed - Hawkeye is hiding under the animal skin! With the help of a hunter, Duncan discovers Alice hidden in a cave - but Magua appears here. The cunning fox triumphs. But not for long.
The “bear” grabs the Indian and squeezes him in an iron embrace, the major ties his hands to the villain. But from the experienced excitement Alice can not take a single step. The girl is wrapped in Native American clothes, and Duncan - accompanied by a "bear" - takes her out. A sick self-proclaimed “healer”, referring to the power of the Evil Spirit, tells his father to stay and guard the exit from the cave. The trick succeeds - the fugitives safely reach the forest. At the fringe, Hawkeye shows Duncan the path leading to the Delaware and returns to free Uncas. With the help of David, he deceives warriors guarding the Swift Deer and hides with the Mohican in the forest. The furious Magua, who is found in a cave and freed from fetters, calls his fellow tribesmen to revenge.
The next morning, at the head of a strong military detachment, the Cunning Fox goes to the Delaware. Having hidden the detachment in the forest, Magua enters the village. He turns to the Delaware leaders, demanding the surrender of prisoners. The leaders, deceived by the eloquence of the Tricky Fox, agreed, but after the intervention of Kora, it turns out that in reality Magua’s captive is only one - all the others have freed themselves. Colonel Munro offers a rich ransom for Kora - the Indian refuses. Uncas, who unexpectedly became the supreme leader, is forced to release Magua with the captive. In parting, the Sly Fox was warned: after enough time had elapsed for the flight, the Delaware set foot on the warpath.
Soon, military operations, thanks to the skillful leadership of Uncas, bring the Delaware a decisive victory. The Hurons are broken. Magua, capturing Cora, runs. A swift Deer is chasing an adversary. Understanding that they cannot escape, the last of the surviving satellites of the Cunning Fox carries a knife over Cora. Uncas, seeing that he may not be in time, rushes from the cliff between the girl and the Indian, but falls and loses consciousness. Huron kills Cora. The swift Deer manages to defeat the killer, but Magua, seizing the moment, thrusts a knife into the young man’s back and starts off. A shot sounds - Hawkeye is settling with a villain.
Orphaned people, orphaned fathers, solemn farewell. Delaware has just lost its newfound leader - the last of the Mohicans (sagamor), but one leader will replace another; the colonel left the youngest daughter; Chingachgook lost everything. And only Hawkeye, turning to the Great Serpent, finds words of comfort: “No, sagamor, you are not alone! We may be different in color, but we are destined to follow one path. I have no relatives and I can say, like you, there is no people of my own.
