It all began in Grantsville in the hot and dry Utah territory in 1857. Young Nick Wilson is bored with his lonesome chores of weeding the garden and tending sheep, while his older brother is permitted to hire out to the neighbors and cut cedar posts beside their pa. Pa tells Nick that he must show some responsibility with his own chores before he asks to work for someone else. In his boredom, Nick has forgotten to fasten the gate to the sheep pen--again. When some members of the Shoshone tribe pass by on their way to a nearby rendezvous to trade furs for other needed items, they cross paths with Nick watering his sheep, and are delighted to discover that Nick speaks their language fluently. They allow Nick to ride one of their ponies, something Nick had never done before. Then they offer to give Nick the pony if he will go home with them. While Nick enjoys his pony ride, the neglected sheep get into the family vegetable garden, destroying vegetables meant for the Wilsons' winter food. Nick's pa tells him he'll never amount to anything and sends him to bed without supper, and saying they don't need that kind of help. Filled with remorse and regret, Nick decides to spare his pa the burden and agrees to go with the Shoshone.