A dramatization of the true account of a fundamentalist sect in Arizona that practices polygamy, and a returning Korean War veteran's rebellion against his father when he learns that the latter plans to increase his stable of wives by adding the 15-year-old girl with whom his son is romantically involved.

A former champion rodeo rider is reduced to using his saddle skills to promote a breakfast cereal in a gaudy Las Vegas show. When he's asked to perform with a $12 million horse, he discovers it is being doped to remain docile. He flees into the desert astride the beast in an act of defiance. A story-hungry female reporter gives chase.