Five hundred years ago, as Europeans began arriving in America, a young brother-sister duo led the prosperous and powerful Calusa tribe of Southwestern Florida. He was named Carlos, and she was named Antonia. Young Spaniards rescued from shipwrecks also lived among the Calusa. One boy, a thirteen year old, later wrote about this exceptional tribe. Many events in this story are real.

The Calusa, often referred to as at eh Shell People, were sailors, deep-sea fishermen, and traders renowned for their construction of shell mounds, canals, and sea going canoes. They were also talented artisans, who created wood carvings and masks. They embraced laughter, singing and dancing, with one hundred girls forming a choir to perform at celebrations. No other tribe resembled the Calusa; never before had a brother and sister jointly ruled a tribe.