Rewarded for his heroism in the Civil War, Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) wants to see the American frontier before it is gone. He is assigned to an abandoned fort, where a Sioux tribe is his only neighbor. Overcoming the language barrier and their mutual fear and distrust, Dunbar and the proud Indians gradually become friends. Eventually, he falls in love with the beautiful Stands With a Fist (Mary McDonnell) a white woman raised by the tribe.