Lee Masters, a handsome young cowboy, is fired from his cattle drive when his sexual orientation is discovered. Frustrated and angry, he rides to a mountain lake where he meets a Dakota native named Tatanka, who is also exiled from his tribe for refusing to adhere to tribal custom for braves who prefer men to women. They strike up a friendship, which readily turns to love. Their family is completed when a young Indian, Sleeps With Dogs, insists they take him with them on their search for a home.

Their quest to find acceptance in either the white man's world or the native population is a difficult journey. Can two men who love each other find a place in the harsh reality of the western wilderness, or will they always be walking in two worlds?