Set against the rolling hills of the Wild West, a band of cowboys cuts through the dust, selling spirits, medicine and prostitutes to the locals. A lone rider, Prescott Roe (Richard Harris) steals proprietor Eamon McCree's (Alan Bates) half-breed daughter. With Eamon and his son Reeves (Dermot Mulroney) in pursuit, Prescott delivers the kidnapped woman to his son Talbot (River Phoenix). Despite her beauty, he can't put the past behind him and seeks a new life on his untamed frontier.