Lt. Joe Leaphorn & Jim Chee, two officers of the Navajo Tribal Police, investigate the disappearance of an anthropologist suspected of selling ancient Indian artifacts on the black market.

In the shadow of Mt. Rushmore, lies one of the poorest counties in America, The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. For police officer Rudy Yellow Lodge, the painful legacy of Indian existence is brought home every night as he locks up drunk and disorderly Indians, including his own brother. Rudy's frustration leads him to take the law into his own hands. Ultimately, Rudy is able to honor his big brother, and his people with a life-affirming act of defiance....