In Shadow of the Jicarilla Owl, John Noah finds himself immersed in the strange spiritual world of the Jicarilla Apache Indians. Accidently, or perhaps through fate, he meets an old, lonely, sometimes comical, Jicarilla man, claiming to be a Shaman. The old man tells him "I'm waiting for the Owl; he's coming soon." Later, he explains, "Abáachii not speak of dead or dying. It bring bad spirits. When we say Owl took someone, they are gone, not to return."

Noah realizes the old man is alone and is seeking help. He develops a liking for the old man. In frightening circumstances, Noah shifts between the orderly physical world he has lived in as an engineer and a totally unfamiliar, supernatural, spiritual world.

Ignoring a warning from the old man, that the Owl will be very close, John Noah returns to the Jicarilla reservation and is caught up by forces beyond his control. He unwittingly becomes a target and the center of attention in a deadly struggle for justice.