After a series of precarious but triumphant battles with the Sioux, the Crow nation decides that their best course of survival in their own land is to forge an alliance with the Americans. The Crows hire themselves out to scout for the U.S.Army during their climactic struggle with the Sioux. Among the scouts is a Crow chief named Young Buffalo and an ex-Confederate soldier named Wayne Braddock who butts heads with his commanding officers but savors the sting of battle. Side by side, these men of honor lead the whites into battle after battle, and although they are beaten by the Sioux, they are able to retain their tribal land for their people.