Indian Camp Summary

How It All Goes Down

A boy named Nick goes on a Take Your Child to Work Day with his physician dad to an Indian camp to help a woman in labor. During the birth the woman's husband smokes silently on the top bunk of the bed, while Nick's father calmly explains to a mildly freaked out Nick why the woman is screaming. After operating on the woman and delivering the baby, Nick's father is proud of his work—that, is, until he realizes that the husband in the top bunk has slit his own throat (for which Nick has a front row seat). As they leave the camp, Nick asks his father questions about suicide and death, and feels certain that he himself will never die.