Josephine Currie has had enough of civilian city life. She longs for adventure and to spend more than the summer months with her mother's Cheyenne tribe. Both her father, a retired calvary captain, and her half-Cheyenne mother, fight the injustice of the Native Americans through court and politics. Josephine longs for adventure and to live with her ancestors. When she hears about the massacre at Sand Creek, she sneaks out to find her Cheyenne relatives.
Smoke has been an outcast since he was born. His father was an enemy Cheyenne warrior who raped his Crow mother. Then, when he reached puberty, he transformed into an animal and was shunned by his tribe when they discovered the truth. Now he lives in the wilderness hunting Cheyenne and military soldiers.
When he spots Josephine, he thinks she's just a white woman he can ransom. But the truth will make him chose between vengeance and love. Can he forgive the past and move onto a future?