This story begins with a woman who is seduced by a stranger she meets as she walks along the river bank of where she lives. The man's name is Silva; he claims to be a mountain spirit of the Laguna Pueblo Indians, called ka'tsina spirit. He also tries to convince the woman that she is Yellow Woman, a legendary character who is a part of many Pueblo Indians oral stories. This story is about the uncertainty of a woman's self identity. .
Later in the part one of the story, is kidnapped by this strange man. As she walks beside him she begins to become unsure of her identity. Silva insists that she is in indeed Yellow Woman. However, she is unsure if this is true or not. Her uncertainty in her identity is evident when she says,.
I will see someone, eventually I will see someone, and then I will be certain that he is only a man- some man from nearby and I will be sure that I am not Yellow Woman. Because she is from out of time past and I live now and I've been to school and there are highways and pickup trucks that Yellow Woman never saw.
When she says this it gives the reader the notion that she truly is not sure if she is in fact Yellow Woman. .
Part two of the story starts with Yellow Women frying potatoes for her and Silva to eat. Silva then looks over the edge of his corral with Yellow Women and points out landmarks. Yellow Woman is then shocked to learn that Silva is a cattle rustler. This leads her to believe and ask Silva whether or not he is a Navajo. She thought this way because a true Pueblo Indian would never do such a thing. .
In addition, in part three of the story Silva and the main character are stopped by a white rancher riding a grey horse. The rancher accuses Silva of stealing from him. Silva with his finger on the trigger of his rifle tells Yellow Woman to flee. Instinctively Yellow Woman slaps her horse and rides off in to the mountains in which they came from. As she rides away all she hears is four shots in the distance.