Teenager Ben Mockridge feels life in a Wild West farm town has nothing better to offer than horse-cart racing with other hicks| so he naively begs cattle companyowner Frank Culpepper to engage him as the youngest cowboy for a long cattle trail to a fort. His mother barely notices. Ben doesn't even seem to get it when he'stold to report as 'little Mary' to the old cook| whose words| "Cowboy is something you do only if you have nothing better." gradually become clear. Instead of anexciting heroic macho life| it's endless hard work| dumb chores and embarrassment| even getting literally caught with his pants down| robbed of his horse| andwitnessing unpunished crimes...