Bear, a Yakima Indian, and his ex-Marine buddy have both been laid off work ... summer 1969. Bear decides to visit the reservation "Up north."
They leave San Francisco and head up the coast. Along the way they have numerous misadventures such as a fight with some motorcycle riders.
The background setting to these misadventures is the music playing on the nostalgia radio station of Bear's van. What should easily be several days drive ends up taking three weeks. Eventually Bear and his friend decide to turn back: "It's no use. We're never going to make it," Bear says.