Powwow Highway

Buddy Red Bow, a quick-tempered activist on the Northern Cheyenne reservation, campaigns to persuade the council to vote against a strip-mining contract. He views the project as a direct threat to land and cultural heritage and presses for action. The political struggle underscores the personal stakes for Buddy and his community.

Philbert Bono, guided by sacred visions, desires to find his medicine and gather tokens from the spirits. He trades marijuana at a junkyard to buy a vehicle and names the beat-up Buick Wildcat 'Protector.' After a few failed starts, the car finally roars to life. Throughout, parts of the car fall off as a sign of the journey ahead.

Buddy convinces Philbert to drive him to Santa Fe to help his sister Bonnie. Philbert emphasizes their Cheyenne identity, and old tensions surface as they set out together. The journey marks a tentative reconciliation as the two men bond on the road.

Along the way they reconnect with friends and attend a Pow Wow at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Buddy participates in a veteran dance, finding shared purpose and renewed camaraderie with his people. The stop deepens their understanding of community ties.

The travelers reach the sacred Black Hills and Philbert reverently offers a Hershey's chocolate bar as an ancestral offering. The moment underscores Philbert's spiritual approach to the journey and to honoring those who came before. The visit strengthens their bond and resolve.

Meanwhile, Buddy's sister Bonnie is arrested in Santa Fe for drugs planted in her car trunk. Buddy is alerted and drawn into the brewing crisis as developers’ plot to pass the strip-mining contract unfolds. The stakes become personal for Buddy as family and politics collide.

Bonnie's bail requires $2,000, and her friend Rabbit helps cover the cost. The funds are difficult to process due to the holidays, delaying Bonnie's release. The delay complicates the plan and heightens urgency among Bonnie's supporters.

Inspired by an old western, Philbert uses Protector and a rope to yank the jail bars off the building. The tribal chief arrives to observe the daring escape and quietly departs in his truck. The jailbreak sets off a high-stakes chase that pulls Buddy and Rabbit into the action.

A police pursuit erupts as Buddy slows the chase by throwing the loose window from Philbert's car at a pursuing unit, causing a crash. The group escapes the city limits, but Protector loses its brakes on a downhill stretch, forcing everyone to jump from the vehicle except Philbert, who appears to perish in the wreck.

Believing Philbert is dead, the group mourns the loss of their companion. They later discover that Philbert survived the crash and returns Buddy's necklace, prompting a heartfelt reunion. The group solidifies their bond as they continue their journey away from the wreck.

The tribal chief had followed the jailbreak and arrives with his truck to give them a ride home. He emphasizes the importance of returning in time to vote against the strip-mining contract. The chief's support helps unify the group’s efforts toward a political win.

Back on the reservation, Buddy, Philbert, Bonnie, Rabbit, and the kids round out the journey with a final sense of purpose. The shared trials strengthen their resolve to vote against the strip-mining contract. The community faces the decision with renewed unity and hope.