The making of a man is a challenging metamorphosis by any standard, but when it's in the wilderness and among the Arapaho people, the standards are raised. Such was the challenge of Caleb, the adopted son of Jeremiah Thompsett and Laughing Waters. With his Pa a proven warrior and leader for the people and his Ma becoming the new Shaman for the village, Caleb naturally wonders about his future and the possibility of marrying his sweetheart and spending their lives living in the wilderness with his people, the Northern Arapaho. With confusion and frustration confounding his thinking, he follows the council of the elder of the people and his Grandfather, Black Kettle, and departs for the Bighorns and a vision quest to the sacred Medicine Wheel. Seeking the many answers to the questions that have plagued him, he looks to his God for direction for his life, his manhood, and his companion.

Returning to his home with what he believes to be the needed direction and the answers he sought, he is confronted with tragic news of the kidnapping of the love of his life. Questioning himself and his purpose again, he is joined by his Pa, Jeremiah, and their partner, Scratch, as this odd collection of mountain men, young and old, sets off in pursuit of the renegade kidnappers and the needed retribution. With obstacles before him and a fight awaiting him, he must push through his trial by fire to find his beloved.