"A strange creature stalks the land, eating barbed wire and devouring tractors and plows. The farmers are mystified--and afraid. And then they glimpse him in the night: the Iron Giant, taller than a house, with glowing headlight eyes and an insatiable taste for metal. The hungry giant must be stopped at any cost. Only a young boy named Hogarth is brave enough to befriend the Iron Giant and lead him to a safe home. And only Hogarth knows where to turn...

Captain Jason McCord, West Point graduate and decorated Cavalry officer is the sole survivor of the Battle at Bitter Creek. He is judged to have deserted the battle and therefore is stripped of his rank, branded a coward. As McCord travels West he always lends a hand and is even recruited by President Ulysses S. Grant for daring undercover missions.