The story takes place in the woods of Maine with an unnamed protagonist who walks home after caring for a sick neighbor.
She ventures into the woods, where she comes in contact with the Indian Devil who assaults her throughout the story, but in this life-and-death situation she realizes her reality and religion and comes to terms with her life, sexuality, and fears.
An unnamed woman travels back to her home after caring for an ill neighbor in Maine and notices a white apparition floating in the air that sighs, "The Lord have mercy on the people!"
Any time she pictures her husband or her child, she ceases from singing and the beast returns to its ferocious ways and tortures the woman.
Eventually, he finds his wife being assaulted by the panther and, after much planning for the perfect shot at the monster, he hits it dead on and the two fall, with it under her.
The three embrace one another and return to their home, finding their community in complete desolation and its people dead from the 'true Indian Devils,' leaving the readers to the final line of the tale:[3] For the rest,—the world was all before them, where to choose.
[3][4]This story was inspired by an actual occurrence that happened to Spofford's great-grandmother who, one night, was brutally attacked by a black panther.
[1] Another major theme to this story is that the beast causes the woman to analyze her own sexuality, religion, fears, and existence in her life through its complete control over her.