An elderly Blackfeet warrior tells the story of his youth, when his tribe owned and lived free on the great plains at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. During those days of freedom and plenty, they hunted the vast herds of buffalo, worshipped their ancient gods and sought glory in war parties against their traditional tribal enemies. In order to achieve his adulthood in the tribe, Little Otter must face the dangerous vision quest to find his sacred helper and then risk death as a member of a daring war party. Most of all, though, Little Otter wants to become a Sun priest. Alone, armed with nothing more than his own strength, he must capture and kill an eagle for its sacred and power-giving feathers. With the guidance of the elderly Sun priest Red Wings, he prepares himself to take on the most death-defying test of all: To become a seizer of eagles.