Former rodeo world champion, Sonny Steele, has traded competition for advertising as the national spokesman for Ranch breakfast cereal and he tours the country in a jeweled cowboy costume, braided with flashing lights. However, his manager, Wendell, and assistant, Leroy, struggle to keep Sonny sober, and the global conglomerate, AMPCO Industries, who hired Sonny, is increasingly disappointed in his performance. In Las Vegas, Nevada, a television newscaster from New York City, named Hallie Martin, arrives for an AMPCO media event and is curious why the company discourages interviews with the cowboy. During rehearsals for the AMPCO variety show at Caesars Palace, Sonny notices that Rising Star, the $12 million champion racehorse he will be riding on stage and the company’s new corporate symbol, has been drugged with tranquilizers. He barges into the sales reception and complains to AMPCO’s chairman, Hunt Sears, that the thoroughbred stallion is being exploited, but Sears reminds Sonny about his generous contract and walks away. When Sonny arrives backstage for his act that evening, he mounts Rising Star and goes on stage in the middle of a disco musical number as the director screams for him to stop. Tipping his hat to the audience, Sonny carefully rides the horse down the runway, out of the nightclub and through the casino. After trotting down the Las Vegas strip, Sonny and Rising Star gallop out of town. In the aftermath of the incident, AMPCO executives are desperate to locate Sonny before the press does, worried that the cowboy might raise concerns about the company’s treatment of the horse, which could jeopardize an upcoming $300 million merger. At a press conference, they announce that Sonny is facing grand larceny charges. Meanwhile, in the Nevada desert, Sonny borrows a camper van from his friend Gus Atwater and drives to Utah with Rising Star. Along the way, he begins to detoxify the stallion and treat the animal’s swollen tendon. Back at the casino, Hallie investigates Sonny’s whereabouts. After piecing together clues from Leroy and Wendell, Hallie tracks down Gus and cajoles him into revealing Sonny’s location. Sonny is angry when Hallie finds his campsite, so he refuses to answer questions about why he took the horse. Before continuing on his way, he punctures the tires of her car. Unable to trail Sonny, Hallie returns to Las Vegas and reports on television that she found the rebel cowboy and the kidnapped horse, but keeps the location confidential, which frustrates AMPCO executives. Driving into St. George, Utah, Sonny hears on the radio that a massive search is underway for Rising Star and he is annoyed that AMPCO accuses him of being an alcoholic who might not have the horse’s best interests at heart. He telephones Hallie and says that if she can leave Las Vegas without being followed, he will give her a story. Arriving in a remote canyon with video equipment, Hallie records Sonny on camera as he reveals that the champion racehorse was pumped with drugs and put on stage with dancing girls, but has ���earned a better life.” Following the interview, Sonny discloses to Hallie that he will turn Rising Star loose at a secret destination. Based on information obtained earlier from Sonny’s estranged wife, Hallie assumes that Sonny is taking Rising Star to Rim Rock Canyon, Utah. In a nearby town, Hallie telephones her producer and requests a camera crew at Rim Rock. When she notices an army of police cars on the streets, she arranges for a truck driver to deliver the videotape to a television affiliate in St. George and returns to warn Sonny. Scrambling into the camper, she insists she must accompany Sonny, or the authorities will force her to reveal all she knows. After arriving in town, Sonny orders Hallie to drive the camper to a lake near Cisco Falls, while he distracts the police and gallops away on Rising Star. Using his rodeo skills and the horse’s speed, Sonny evades the police and by nightfall, meets Hallie at the lake. Meanwhile, the videotape of Sonny is broadcast on television, and the public perceives him as a hero. Since authorities have been alerted to the camper, Sonny, Hallie and Rising Star leave it behind and begin walking. Along the way, they encounter a local farmer who admired Sonny’s statement on television and offers to drive them to the next county in a tractor-trailer, foregoing the $50,000 reward for Sonny’s capture. The farmer also provides rations as Sonny and Hallie continue on foot. During the isolated journey, the animosity between Sonny and Hallie dissipates, and they become lovers. Hallie is impressed by Sonny’s knowledge of the outdoors and his integrity, and likewise, Sonny admires her street smarts and talents as a reporter. Meanwhile, the AMPCO executives notice that Sonny’s newfound popularity has boosted cereal sales, and they begin to reverse their position. Getting closer to their destination, Sonny and Hallie spend the night at an old hunting cabin, but Hallie appears anxious. She confesses to Sonny that she ordered television cameras to meet them at Rim Rock, but now regrets her actions. Despite the possibility that police might be there, Sonny will not change his plans. The following day, Sonny stops in a valley and announces that they have arrived, but Hallie is confused because she does not see the camera crew. Sonny explains that this location, where he always intended to set Rising Star free, is Silver Reef, not Rim Rock. Relieved, Hallie kisses Rising Star goodbye, and Sonny releases the stallion to join a herd of wild horses. Meanwhile, AMPCO executives wait at Rim Rock with television reporters and a welcoming banner before realizing that they have been misinformed about his arrival. At a café in St. George, Hallie and Sonny enjoy a meal together, kiss goodbye and go their separate ways. Later, from the television studio in New York City, Hallie reports on her journey with Sonny and mentions that all charges against the cowboy have been dropped while the whereabouts of Rising Star are still unknown.