A reservation in South Dakota in the mid-1960s. The white administration rules unchallenged over the mostly impoverished reservation Indians. Many of them have long lost their self-respect and have succumbed to alcohol. A young Indian, Joe Inya-he-yukan King, who was imprisoned at 16 for alleged theft and later became a member of a gang, breaks away from the gangsters and returns to the reservation. He wants to build a ranch. His break with the gangs repeatedly puts him in danger; he must kill to survive. His assertive Indian demeanor towards the white authorities and his tribal peers earns him both hatred and respect. A young, highly talented artist from the tribe, Queenie Tashina, becomes his wife. Thanks to his successes as a rancher and spectacular rodeo victories, Joe King gains recognition.