Jimmy Lloyd McGowan tries to balance his job at the oil refinery with the siren call of the rodeo, but riding pickup for bronc busters takes its toll, and the refinery manager's not keen on Jimmy Lloyd's hazardous hobby. His ex, Esther, still controls the reins to his heart, and he lovingly cares for her horse, Sweet Ginger, on his property. Kamal, the international college student renting his back house, is all kinds of new and unfamiliar, but Jimmy Lloyd bonds with him over their mutual love of horses.

Gradually, Jimmy Lloyd introduces Kamal to his friends in town, and the young man soaks up his first American experiences. But an explosion at the refinery drags Jimmy Lloyd from his genial mentoring and into a world of fire.

Events converge and cast dusty shadows, and Jimmy Lloyd is the only man who can stop them from darkening the lives of those he loves—and settling like a deadly cloud on those far beyond his beloved countryside.