Trevor Howard stars as the titular Native American chief in Windwalker. Told in flashback, the film relates the early life of the Cheyenne chief, with particular emphasis on the deaths of his wife and son at the hands of the Crow tribe. In the interests of authenticity, the actors converse in the Crow and Cheyenne languages, compelling the producers to fit the film out with English-language subtitles. James Remar plays the young Windwalker, while James Remus dubs in Trevor Howard's voice as narrator. Windwalker was based on the novel by Blaine M. Yorgason.