Jacob Wheeler leaves Virginia with his brother, Nathan, to join up with explorer Jebidiah Smith and journey to California. Meanwhile, a young shaman, Loved By the Buffalo, has visions of the coming of the white man and the havoc they will wreck for his people. When Jacob saves the life of Loved By the Buffalo's sister, Thunder Heart Woman, the two families become forever linked, despite being on opposing sides of the coming conflict.
Jacob and his family join a wagon train west to California. On the way, they face many hardships, including the deaths of two cousins. Jacob is injured and forces Thunder Heart Woman and the rest to leave him behind so they can make it California.
The California Gold Rush makes Jethro greedy, and he and his cousin, David, end up killing each other over a large chunk of gold. Margaret Light Shines goes in search of Jacob, finding love along the way.
As the intercontinental railroad is being built, the lives of Jacob Wheeler's children are changed forever. Abe goes to work to help build the railroad, while Jacob Jr. joins the army and works tho keep the Indians contained. Margaret Light Shines is captured by the Cheyenne and witnesses the US soldiers attacking them. In the end, she decides to stay with her new Cheyenne family.
After gold is discovered in the Black Hills and the U.S. governement cotinues to make and break promises to the Indians, Chief Sitting Bull has a vision of victory which is accomplished at Little Big Horn.
Loved By the Buffalo thinks he has found the person to prevent his vision from coming true in the form of Wokova, who has introduced the Indians on the reservations to the Ghost Dance.