Charlie Johnson is terminally ill. Though estranged from his family, he maintains contact with his two sons, Dustin and Dennis. His sons have taken divergent paths: Dennis volunteers his time to curate the weekly poetry readings in his hometown and remains unemployed. Dustin works as a program analyst at a large firm, where he earns a respectable income. After Dennis sends his father a paperback copy of Black Elk Speaks, a book that chronicles the destruction of Lakota Sioux/Plains culture at the end of the 19th century, Charlie reads the book and has a vision. The vision tells him that he must travel to America's Great Plains, where he will find the last remaining buffalo and restore the "sacred hoop." Reluctantly, and with concerns that his father is suffering from the ill-effects of his medication, Dustin agrees to join his father. The narrative chronicles their journey to the Great Plains during the final days of Charlie Johnson's life.