Mero left his family’s ranch at Wyoming and sets off for Massachusetts when he was only twenty-three. Sixty years later, he is called by Louise, his nephew’s wife, who informs him that her father-in-law, Rollo, has been attacked to death by emu. Mero decides to drive from Massachusetts to Wyoming to attend the burial of his brother. As he drives to Wyoming, he is having flashbacks of his days in the ranch. He reminisces about his brother, his father, and his father’s girlfriend. Mero relates his father’s lover to a horse due to her beauty. He says that she had “horsy buttocks” (Proulx). Rollo was sexually attracted to her. That led to uneasiness in the family, forcing Mero to flee.
Mero remembers his father’s girlfriend telling them about Tin Head, a hapless rancher. He remembers leaving home the following day after the story because he had a nightmare. The girlfriend told them that Tin Head’s family was inauspicious. The flashbacks confuse him, and he causes an accident wrecking his car. However, he buys another one. He continues with memories of Tin Head, as explained by his father’s girlfriend. Every year, Tin Head used to butcher a steer to feed his hapless family. However, on a particular year, Tin Head mutilates a steer but leaves it half-skinned. At this point, Mero is almost near the ranch. He remembers everything about the ranch and boasts off driving on mountains.
Mero continues having flashbacks about Tin Head. Tin Head went to look for the half-skinned steer but discovered that it had run away. At a distance, Tin Head saw the steer, which was still alive. He thought that the bull is angry against him and his family. As a result, Tin Head believed that they were cursed for hurting the steer. At this point, Mero is back to present but cannot locate the entrance of their ranch. He gets out of his car to walk but declares that he might die in the storm. Here, he notices a steer that has separated itself from the rest of the livestock. Mero stares at the steer and identifies it as the half-skinned steer.
