When white men begin moving west, Native American leader Hiawatha (Litefoot) must watch over the Iroquois tribe as they set up their new homes in a new environment. While Hiawatha attempts to protect his people from illness, he falls in love and pursues the beautiful Minnehaha (Irene Bedard). All the while, he attempts to get various tribes to work together in order to fight off their mutual foe: settlers and soldiers. As Hiawatha battles his enemies, his legend spreads far and wide.