印第安人保留地的黑人警察吉普赛在一次搜剿行动中收留了部落酋长的儿子科尔比，把他交给一家白人收养。在异族中长大的科尔比因为天生的印第安人相貌遭受了白人的歧视，当他与白人女孩雷切尔的爱情遭到破坏时，科尔比决定重返部落。 几年之后，当雷切尔找到他的时候，科尔比已经成了印第安酋长“白狼”。吉普赛爱上了黑人女教师，就当黑人警官第一次品尝爱情的甜蜜时，三K党的黑手也慢慢地伸向了他…… 雷切尔被议员谢尔比的殷勤追求和富有家世所打动，接受了谢尔比的求婚，这使科尔比伤心欲绝。婚后的雷切尔渐渐察觉到谢尔比的诡异，当她终于认清了丈夫的真实面目，悲剧也不可避免地发生了……

As the film opens on an Oklahoma farm during the depression, two simultaneous visitors literally hit the Wagoneer home: a ruinous dust storm and a convertible crazily driven by Red, the missus' brother. A roguish country-western musician, he has just been invited to audition for the Grand Ole Opry, his chance of a lifetime to become a success. However, this is way back in Nashville, Red clearly drives terribly, and he's broke and sick with tuberculosis to boot. Whit, 14, seeing his own chance of a lifetime to avoid "growing up to be a cotton picker all my life," begs Ma to let him go with Uncle Red as driver and protege. Thus begins a picaresque journey both hilarious and poignant.