In nineteenth-century Texas, a young boy learns a great deal about life on the range when he is at last allowed to accompany the ranch hands on the spring roundup.
Roy and his arsonist adult brother Joe find refuge at the Bar None Ranch, where Roy befriends Lady Luck, a wild pony that wins over Roy's heart, but when Joe's past catches up with the brothers, they must choose between fleeing and finally facing the truth.
Hank the Cowdog, Head of Ranch Security, runs into trouble when he follows Little Alfred to an archaeological excavation and encounters a gorgeous golden-haired lady dog, a peanut butter sandwich, and an enticing, ancient, buffalo bone.
In his own modest way, Hank the Cowdog recounts how he barely escaped crazy Slim and his tail-eating vacuum sweeper and single-handedly saved the ranch from a huge catastrophe.
