Newly released from a mental institution, Simple's first job is caring for Emmett, a crusty drunkard dying of cancer on a ranch in Utah. Simple's first fragile friendship is with Emmett's grandson Jude, a gay youth in Gothic drag who gets nothing but grief from his grandfather. In an attempt to help both men, Simple, a Shoshone Indian, decides to perform a ceremony that will save Emmett by transferring his spirit into the body of a falcon. Working to capture a falcon will bring Emmett and Jude closer as Jude and Simple's growing love for each other blossoms, but all is not well. When the ranch, Jude's future, and Simple's happiness are threatened, more than Emmett's spirit faces a bleak future.