Teen Ben Mockridge really feels life in a Wild West farm community has absolutely nothing far better to offer after that horse-cart racing with other hicks, so he naively begs livestock company proprietor Frank Culpepper to involve him as youngest cowboy for a lengthy cattle trail to a fort, his mother barely notices. Ben doesn't even appear to get it when he's told to report as 'little Mary' to the old chef, whose words cowboy is something you do only if you have absolutely nothing far better gradually become clear. Instead of an amazing brave aggressive life, it's limitless effort, foolish duties and also embarrassment, even obtaining literally captured with his pants down, robbed of his equine, seeing unpunished crimes ...