Clay Middleton has made a career as a wilderness artist with his paintings of the American southwest. His remote desert journeys have also earned him the reputation of a deranged man who is best avoided. The reputation suits him, however, as other than for his immediate family, he prefers the company of cacti, coyotes, and sidewinders to the company of man. His idyllic life comes to an end when his wife dies, and his daughter abandons her son to his...