Billy Baker dreams to be different during the lawless western days of 1876. His family falls upon economic hardships due to their honorable belief in justice and equality. Shunned from their hometown, the Bakers find themselves frustrated and fearful of the future. Billy rescues a small red-tailed hawk from the jaws of a fox and, with the help of a befriended woodsman, nurses it back to health and trains it to become a proud hunting bird.