 Frank Hopkins was a rider for the Army, who was at the Wounded Knee Massacre, which would haunt him for life and he copes by turning to the bottle. He joins Buffalo Bill s Wild West Show, and is billed as the greatest horseman and his horse, Hidalgo is billed as the greatest horse in the world because of the countless races he has won. But an Arab questions that claim because they have not competed in a race like the Oceans of Fire which is very grueling. Hopkins decides to join it. So he travels to the Middle East to enter and has several rivals and there are those who don t want him to win. And Frank gets to face some of the demons that plague him.