"Reb" Harkness and Pete Marillo are in the process of robbing a train in Missouri when the cavalry closes in on them. After escaping on Reb's horse, Pete double-crosses his partner and steals the animal, leaving Reb to face the soldiers on foot. Deciding to escape his pursuers by traveling to California, Reb meets Dave Kincaid, a discharged Confederate soldier, who invites him to ride along to his ranch in Wyoming. As they near the ranch, Reb steals Kincaid's horse and pack, but after Kincaid is murdered by cattle rustlers, Reb rides to the ranch to care for the slain man's daughter Lucy and son Jimmy. There Reb learns that the town's corrupt mayor, John Buckley, is forcing the ranchers from their lands, but Reb wants none of their fight. After killing one of Buckley's men for gunning down Kincaid, and delivering the dead man's money to Jimmy and Lucy, Reb plans to ride on to California, but his plans are postponed with the arrival of General George Custer, who has come to police the territory. When Buckley accuses Reb of murdering one of his men, Custer arrests him and places him in the custody of the town's weak-willed sheriff, who is also Buckley's tool. Plotting to rustle the remainder of the rancher's cattle, Buckley arranges for a diversion to compel Custer to go to Laramie. He then sets a trap for Reb, but Reb outwits him, escapes, and meets up with Pete again, who decides to help him. Upon learning that Buckley's men have killed Lafe, the brother of the town's female blacksmith, Mehitabel, Reb sides with the ranchers, but before a range war can escalate, Custer returns and declares martial law. Not to be deterred, Buckley arranges for an Indian massacre, but before he can benefit from his treachery, Reb shoots and kills him. After Reb and Custer's cavalry fend off the Indian attack, Reb decides to give up on California and settle down in Wyoming with Mehitabel, while Lucy and Sergeant Connelly, one of Custer's men, make plans of their own.