After becoming lost on the plains, Howard (Dustin Hoffman) is taken in by a Cheyenne tribe. When the white men invade the tribe many years later, Howard denounces his Cheyenne heritage to avoid being killed. Hopping from vocation to vocation, he finally serves as an agent for Custer, bringing him to the Little Big Horn for what would be Custer’s “last stand.” The tale is told in flashback by Howard, who in his old age now complains about the Native American’s fate. This is the first Hollywood film to feature a Native American in a starring role.