Nishko is a chief's son in the Great Plains, before Europeans arrive. During his rite of passage, he's determined to tame a painted pony. He approaches manhood while his peaceful clan is set upon by a nearby tribe willing to break a treaty. He must also contend with the kidnapping of three young women from his village, his pony's illness behind enemy lines, his mother's coma after a rattlesnake bite, the medicine man's urging that he sacrifice what he loves best, the attack of a cougar and of wolves, and his own injury while alone in the woods. His kindness, bravery, and quick thinking serve him well, but rescue come from an unexpected source.

In the vast wilderness of the rainforest in the south of Venezuela, near the origins of the Orinoco, live the Yanomami Indians, the most isolated people in South America. Their language alone reflects this isolation. In the Yanomami language, the term for people and people has its equivalent in the word "nape", which translates roughly as "those who are foreign, urban and dangerous". The goals of the project are to interact with this endangered people in an artistic way to preserve their mystical heritage and draw attention to the plight of the Yanomami. Due to the encroachment of raw material mining into the rainforest, forcing them to retreat ever deeper into their habitat, the existence of the Yanomami is acutely threatened.