Alex is lightly dressed for he has been abandoned by careless others to a rangeland blizzard, and he knows there are over thirty miles to town, too far to hike through snow-drifted ravines before the killing subzero night comes down on him. He doesn't know where closer-by ranches might be amongst the hills. Feeling very alone, he invents a second-self to talk with against that aloneness, and the panic and anger making it hard to think clearly. He agrees with himself that he can't stay exposed where he is, and in trying to guess by the terrain where to search, his hopes soar upon seeing a horse beside a fenceline gate, because he can open gates and the horse will know where to go. But he can't just open the gate and follow for the wind-blown snow would soon cover her tracks. So when the horse only shies from his approach, without going far from the gate, his other self urges him to keep trying ways to get close enough to get control by sliding his belt around her neck. There begins a maneuvering battle between a desperate yet resourceful human and a willful yet savvy horse who is also seeking a way to shelter but whose priority is freedom no matter the weather. Their efforts become serio-comic despite the darkening sky and deepening cold.