As soldiers they were taught to fight for honor. As men they were willing to die for it.

In a desperate race against time, five cavalry officers fight for honor and risk their lives to save four hundred horses destined for destruction.

As the earth-pounding power of new tank forces takes over the army, the men and horses of the US cavalry have become an expensive inconvenience. Colonel Stuart's (Rod Steiger) replacement has been ordered to execute the five hundred horses under his command. Lt. Marshall Buxton (Craig Sheffer) and Sgt. John Libby (Don Johnson) are ordered to escort them to slaughter, but rebel in horror after witnessing the massacre of the first hundred. Buxton, Libby and their men escape with the surviving four hundred, facing at best court martial, at worst, death at the hands of their fellow officers. Colonel Stuart's daughter (Gabrielle Anwar) is a young journalist, determined to tell their story to the world, but time is running out. In their flight across the country, the horses are beginning to drop from exhaustion and the Army is gaining on them. As Buxton and Libby face a final assault at the Canadian border, they must, in the end, be prepared to die for what they believe.