The story of the Indian from Oklahoma acclaimed as the greatest athlete of the 20^th century.  Hero of the 1912 Olympics and an early pro-football star, he defied racial prejudice in the world of sports.

Beginning with Thorpe’s boyhood in Indian Territory, the film chronicles his rise to athletic stardom at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, winning two gold medals at the 1912 Summer Olympics, his fall from grace in the eyes of the amateur establishment, and his rebound in professional baseball and football.  After retiring from sports he went on to  become an actor in Hollywood films.  He fought for equal pay for Indians in the movies.  In the 1940s he crisscrossed the nation as a public speaker advocating for Indian tribal self-determination.