SYNOPSIS:

KAREN, a Ukrainian man with strong abilities in horsemanship, sword fighting, dance, and song, and his son TARAS finally get their visas to the USA and come to contemporary west Texas – Lubbock area – to work on a ranch. Karen speaks broken English but has great cowboy skills. His son Taras speaks English better but has lesser skill. The other COWBOYS are at first suspicious of them, even thinking them Communists, but they gradually win their respect. They still kid Karen about his feminine name in English; he changes it to Carson or Ren after some sage advice from another cowboy, RANDY, or RADOMIR. The boss, ANDY, sends the cowboys out on the roundup. They are caught in a storm and redneck cowboy MIKE makes them take refuge on Stampede Mesa, near Crosbyton, where old legends hold that it is dangerous to keep cattle on that mesa. RANDY objects. A stampede ensues, and Carson and Taras save the day or the night together with GUITAR PETE, an Afro-Cherokee of pure heart. Other cowboys include ARAPAHO PETE and CHARLIE CHUMASH, Native Americans. But many cattle are lost, and a couple cowboys. Then, there is the breaking of a young gelding horse. Mexican-Americans, Native Americans, rednecks, and one Afro-American are among the cowboys. A fistfight ensues, but ends in a friendly way. Then there is poker and drinking together, with telling of Cossack tales and singing Cossack songs to the enraptured Americans, who sing their country music. Then there is a shooting contest and a sword fight the next day, because one redneck, MIKE, and one Mexican-American GONZALEZ hold a grudge from the previous night. KAREN emerges victorious every time, making both friends and enemies. KAREN has not yet met the boss, but now he does. The boss has a Ukrainian GIRLFRIEND he found on the Internet. He keeps her almost like a slave. KAREN is offended but can do nothing. The boss ANDY gets uncomfortable. He is smuggling cocaine to keep his ranch afloat in hard times. The main Mexican-American GONZALEZ is involved in this contraband along with one redneck MIKE, but those two are of completely different political philosophies – one Trotskyist and one neo-Nazi. But they both like drugs. KAREN battles the drug cartel with a few of the cowboys and frees the Ukrainian girl to come back to her family in Ukraine. The girl has meanwhile fallen in love with the good honest Texas cowboy, RANDY, who moves to Ukraine with her and buys a small ranch there.