Cattle rancher Brad Storm was tracking one of his herd when fate set him within the lethal striking distance of a rattlesnake. Bitten and poisoned, he sent the serpent to meet its maker but then lost consciousness. Saved by a Hopi medicine man who believes Brad has inherited the spirit of the snake, he is given a new name—Sidewinder—and a totem to wear around his neck, the rattle of his attacker.

Brad doesn’t believe in spirits and just wants to put the incident—and Native American superstitions—behind him. But when rustlers torch his ranch, steal his cattle, and kidnap his wife, Brad embraces his new identity as he embarks on a trail of revenge.