Calhoun finds an eight-year-old Arapaho boy alive as the only survivor of a battle with the Shoshone. He wants to bring him back to his people, but the Shoshone want him brought to them, as he is the son and heir to the slain Arapaho chief. Calhoun fears that he will be killed if brought to them, but local townspeople, including a close friend, want to maintain the peace with the Shoshone and thus do as they ask---while others in the town want to use the incident to start a new war.