In 1914, Lucky, a young foal, is born aboard a German supply steamer transporting his mother and other workhorses to Africa. Soon parted from his mother and terribly vulnerable, the foal is adopted by an orphaned stable boy in a mining town. When the town evacuates due to encroaching war, Lucky is abandoned and ventures into the surrounding desert. Following the lead of a young Bushman girl and later an Oryx antelope, the foal learns how to survive in the harsh setting.