Music flowed through young Maria Tallchief as naturally as the wind in her hair. She had only to hear a melody and out it came under her fingers on the piano or through her body in dance. But it was soon clear that she would have to make a choice. "Piano or dance," her father told her when she was twelve. "One or the other, but follow that one star." So Maria chose from the heart--and she chose dance. It was a decision that would change not only the course of her life, but the face of classical ballet in America forever. From her early years on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma to her dance training in Los Angeles to her departure for New York and a professional career, the fascinating story of Maria Tallchief, America's prima ballerina, is sure to captivate the hearts of young readers and dance lovers alike.