The story begins in Montana, 1908. During a short stop on the road, a father and son fish for their super when three bandits murder the father during a short and intense shootout.

The boy, James, subsequently stumbles upon a small group of outlaws who take him under their wing as they attempt to steal their way to California for a better life.

Meanwhile, in the small town of Tinderhook, Sheriff Elroy McCarthy investigates the nearby murders of a married couple on the road outside town. When his Deputy, Donnie Maguire, finds the bodies of the murdered bandits near the same location Elroy suspects that the events are connected and goes in search of answers in the neighbouring city of Billings.