In many households on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, modern technology co-exists with tradition. For instance, law enforcement official Charlie Moon uses current methods while his beloved Aunt Daisy Perita is a shaman. When con artist Horace Flye tries to cheat a fellow bar patron, both simply end up in jail. Charlie releases Horace after reading him the riot act. Accompanied by his daughter, Horace seeks work at the famous Nathan's Dude Ranch site of an archeological dig excavating the bones of a mastodon from a bygone period.
Preliminary research indicates that a human apparently killed the beast.
This conflicts with modern theory because it places a human on the North American continent several thousand years too soon. One night Horace leaves his trailer, but fails to return. Daisy takes care of his daughter along with another homeless child. Other incidents occur and Charlie begins to investigate. However, Charlie bends the law to make sure justice happens.