The book's action begins when Carl Tiflin gives his son Jody a red pony colt.

Overjoyed, Jody quickly agrees to all of the conditions his father places on the gift (to feed the pony, to clean his stall, etc.).

After several weeks of training and getting to know Gabilan, Jody is told by his father that he will be allowed to ride the horse by Thanksgiving.

Though the ranch hand Billy Buck assures him there would be no rain, the pony is caught in a downpour and catches what appears to be a cold after being left out to corral.

In the night, Jody becomes sleepy in spite of his constant worry and drifts off to sleep, forgetting about the open barn door.

The story overall deals with ideas regarding the fallibilities of adults and the entrance into manhood, and the inevitability of death for all living things.

Carl Tiflin refuses, although he does allow him to stay the night, noting that the old man is very similar to his useless old horse, Easter.

The story ends with Jody filled with longing and sorrow at thoughts of the old man, the rapier, and the mountains.

"[4] Before Jody can try to return to sleep again, Billy Buck frantically tells everyone that Nellie is ready to give birth.

Carl Tiflin complains about how his father-in-law is constantly re-telling the same stories about leading a wagon train across the plains.

Mrs. Tiflin and Billy, however, believe he's earned the right to tell of his adventures, and Jody is delighted to hear them no matter how many times.

The morning after his arrival, Carl Tiflin complains about Grandfather's stories at the breakfast table: "Why can't he forget it, now it's done?...He came across the plains.

"Jody, attempting to console his weary, nostalgic, and heartbroken grandfather, tells him that he wants to be a leader as well.

The story ends with Jody preparing a lemonade for his grandfather, allowed to do so by his mother after she realizes he is acting out of genuine sympathy, not in an effort to win himself a treat.

After some time, with the townsfolk beginning to talk about the single man living so long with the widow, Junius promptly marries his landlord and becomes the head of the well-kept, profitable ranch/farm.

Eventually the farm falls into disrepair, the family goes broke, and without enough food or clothes, the widow and her children succumb to disease.

Junius, with his barefoot child and a hired servant as lazy as he, spends his time reading books and having fanciful discussions with his companions, never actually working.

Except for the teacher, who finds the man and his son to be romantically dignified, the rest of the community has nothing but scorn for Junius and sympathy for his child.

The story ends with members of the school board attempting to give the child some shoes and new clothes as a present.

The music for the movie was composed by Aaron Copland, who also arranged a suite for orchestra from the film score.

[6] Jerry Goldsmith won his first Emmy for the score, which was released in a limited edition by Varèse Sarabande in 2012.

Billboard complimented the novel by stating that "The Red Pony, [by] John Steinbeck, [is a] wrenching story of adolescent initiation into the world of death, birth, and disappointment.