Dr. Jesse Rainfeather Goldman's (Lou Diamond Phillips, who also directs) is celebrating his birthday after working 44 hours straight at the hospital, where he is interning. He gets a small box with an interesting amulet inside from the Lakota reservation in Sioux City, along with a note from his birth mother, Dawn Rainfeather (Tantoo Cardinal). She wants him to come back to the reservation so she can meet him and learn who he is.

Though he's obviously Native American, he's been raised as a Jew since his adoption, and life with his wealthy Beverly Hills parents is the only culture he knows. He is curious to learn more about his roots, so he accepts her invitation.

But when he arrives at the reservation, he finds police crime tape and a mystery. Dawn Rainfeather died in a house fire. He goes to the police station to find out more and is told she was a drunken Indian who was probably smoking and fell asleep. However, when Jesse sees a gunshot wound in the post-autopsy pictures, he asks for the case to be reopened. The local police aren't interested.

That night, Jesse is attacked and left for dead, only to be saved by his grandfather, Clifford Rainfeather (Apesanahkwat), a shaman. He is brought to the reservation to heal.

Sioux City is a well done crime thriller with a message about hate and racial identity. One interesting note, the Lakota rituals were changed for the movie to protect their integrity. My understanding is, in the years since this film was made, the rules have changed, and Dreamkeepers, a recent Hallmark special, has shown actual rituals.