ItÕs an awful quandary to be a Mormon father who is unworthy to baptize your daughter. As a cowboy intellectual, Hyrum James must carefully navigate the austere religion that stands sentinel-like over his small town. While his eight-year-old daughter Clara understands her fatherÕs delicate position, HyrumÕs ex-wife Jesse canÕt comprehend why he wonÕt fall in line and be a good Mormon man. In rural Utah what is personal is also communal and social expectations carry with them the twin barbs of shame and guilt.



As the community drama unfolds, Hyrum seeks solace in the canyon wilderness where he encounters a majestic mule deer. While Clara, the drunkard LeByron brothers, and a Navajo woman buoy him up; the noble animal shows Hyrum the path to salvation. Rising above the rigid confines of Mormonism allows Hyrum to heal his world, stand tall, and value his neighbors in all their contradictions and complexities.