At the turn of the century in the Southwest, Brighty the wild burro accompanies his friend, a prospector named Old Timer, on a hunt for gold. A claim jumper robs the pair of their strike, killing Old Timer in the process. Brighty then sets out on a quest -- befriending a mountain lion hunter along the way -- to bring Old Timer's murderer to justice in this drama based on the best-seller by Marguerite Henry.

In this western, the sole survivor of an Apache ambush rides out to save a young boy who has been captured. The hero was a captured outlaw en route to his trial.