Rape and murder make headlines, especially when the alleged perpetrator is an Indian "off reservation" where prejudice prevails and justice in the minds of "white man" is called self-help. A Lakota grandmother receives a vision from the Great Spirit directing revenge for white mans' taking of tribal lands along the Missouri River to build dams on the river. The vision is passed to grandson, Charlie Red Tail. Before Charlie can take action, the evil forces of lies, racism and injustice rear their ugly heads and the Lakota youth is falsely accused, convicted, and imprisoned for raping a white ranch girl near the reservation. When the steel door swings open and the young Indian enters college he seeks to fulfill his grandmother's vision. Along the way he encounters more ethnic prejudice, but also the love of a fellow student, Johanna, a white girl who works undercover for the FBI to infiltrate an eco-terrorism cell, and each pursues their respective mission without the knowledge of the other. An FBI Agent, with the help of Johanna, moves against the eco-terrorist cell to stop its terrorism plan. A murder of the alleged rape victim's brother makes headlines, and Charlie is again faced with hatred and injustice as he fights for his freedom from another charge he claims is false, this time with the help of a committed lawyer and of Johanna. The FBI's murder investigation takes justice to a strange conclusion that is hidden in the world of crime and in an unexpected place.
