The kid/The man

The kid is a young man from Tennessee who leaves home at fourteen because he is only a reminder to his father of his mother's death. The kid travels for a while, making a living doing what ever odd job he can find to do. Eventually, he ends up in Texas where he is robbed, and he helps a young man beat up a man, in the processes burning down a hotel. The kid goes on the run where he meets up with a renegade army unit who want him to join up. The kid does, but only days after they go into Mexico, the group is massacred by Indians. The kid gets away and travels through the desert, unsure where to go. He is joined by another member of his unit who is badly wounded in the arm.

The kid is eventually arrested for...