Charles the Throwback

On the CR Ranch, Old Maude gives birth to a calf. This genetic anomaly, named Charles by the rancher?s wife, soon develops the unmistakable look and disposition of an aurochs, the ancestor of all modern-day cattle. Such odd-looking young bulls are usually fattened for slaughter, but the fate that decreed Charles?s birth had other plans.

Maude and her calf flee into the Colorado mountains, sharing the high-country pastures with a herd of wild elk. Hunters intrude on the idyllic meadow, and encountering Charles affects one of them profoundly: great changes await Smitty, who?s stuck in a soured marriage and a meaningless job, and dreaming of a better life. Smitty?s search for love moves us to reflect on the true meaning of hope, the passions that drive us, and the barriers we place between ourselves and our desires.