Forty-five year old Gus Gravesen is a successful San Francisco event producer. Mid-career and midlife, he is still in love with his wife and enjoys his job. But one odd and engaging trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota changes his life. Gus becomes obsessed with the plight of the Lakota Sioux and with the role his family might have played in their oppression decades before. Recurring trips to the Black Hills fuel Gus's fascination. Although he was always intrigued by his South Dakota roots, Gus can suddenly think of little else. Putting his California life at risk, he sets up shop in Hill City, South Dakota, where he entangles a Lakota couple in a project driven by his white man's guilt. Gus plans to hold a major race to raise funds for the Crazy Horse Monument, a mountain sculpture honoring the great Oglala Sioux warrior. When his obsession brings him near his breaking point, Gus finds a savior in the form of a mysterious old Sioux named White Owl. But will Gus be able to come to terms with the past?