On a lovely spring day, Yakari happens upon Quiet Rock, the tribe's elder, busy admiring a Pronghorn – an American antelope. The young Sioux then spends a few days with the Pronghorn's family, learning about their everyday life. With the help of several of his animal friends, he even helps them through several incidents – from coyote attacks to prairie fires – and learns a valuable lesson about humility while he's at it.

It's summer on the prairie, a hot, oppressive summer that has everyone's temper flaring. While Yakari's family, eager to find the buffalo they are tracking, has moved some distance from the other Sioux, nature suddenly unleashes its rage, and a tornado tears through the main camp. Tipis torn, supplies scattered, the tribe must now rebuild … but there are also several people missing, blown away by the twister and perhaps injured or trapped. Yakari sets out to look for them …