A cowboy struggles to adapt to the modern world in 1910s Texas. Hewey Calloway finds it difficult to accept fences, cars and, worst of all--sheep. Also, he is advancing in years, though here there is a consolation, he is teaching the trade to his nephew.

The time is 1883, the place is the Texas Panhandle. Cowboys refuse to be stigmatized as drinkers and exploited by the wealthy cattle owners who don't pay liveable wages. Those very same ranchers want to take away the cowboys' right to own cattle because this ownership, the ranchers believe, would lead to thieving. So, in 1883, the dictum is set: If you're a cowboy, you can't own a cow. When rumors of such legislation travel from wagon to wagon, the...