Into the West

The year is 1827. In Virginia, young Jacob Wheeler dreams of adventure. Leaving his family behind, he joins renowned mountain man Jedediah Smith on an expedition to California. Meanwhile, a young Lakota holy man, Loved by the Buffalo, receives disturbing visions about the coming of the white man and the demise of the buffalo. When his sister, Thunder Heart Woman, is saved by Jacob, the lives of the two families become forever intertwined.

The changes in the western frontier take their toll on the Native people. Some choose to cast their lot with the white man, while others cling to their traditional ways. Jacob Wheeler and his wife, Thunder Heart Woman, return to Virginia, but soon the promise of a new life in California entices Jacob to set out again along with his brother Jethro. The road is long and hard. Many are lost, and in the end, one brother makes the ultimate sacrifice.