Broke and illiterate, Sam Bass (Howard Duff) arrives in town riding shotgun on a stagecoach. He manages to get work on the family farm of store owner Kathy Egan (Dorothy Hart), where he shows a knack for taming wild horses. One of those belongs to Wild West star Calamity Jane (Yvonne De Carlo), whom he also manages to charm to a degree. But a dispute with Sheriff Egan (Willard Parker), Kathy's brother, forces Sam toward the criminal life, and some fateful decisions await.