Dan Murphy is a Civil War veteran now serving in the Seventh Calvary. Led by Sergeant Jim Lawton, this squad of troopers from Fort Abraham Lincoln is a mixture of old hands and new recruits. The team includes Corporal Judd, a bigoted Bible-thumper; Sam Streeter, a glory-hungry New Englander; Jake Picard, a tough half-Indian from Chicago; and several others.
Dan finds himself drawn to young Sam. Dan has spent years filled with regret due to his inability to save his brother in the tragic battle of Antietam. Now, he hopes to keep Sam alive in spite of the young man's idol worship of General Custer, who claims the Indians won't put up a fight. Following a lengthy march, their battalion attacks Little Bighorn.
The Indians do fight back, however, and more than three hundred cavalrymen are forced onto a hill where they must defend themselves against fifteen hundred warriors. What's more, they have no idea that General Custer is about to march to his death a mere four miles away.
This proves to be the first of several confrontations for the Seventh Cavalry, and only time will tell how many of the men will live to share their tales.