California, 1848. An invading army has defeated the few opposing forces and the territory has become part of the United States. Don César de Echagüe, an old gentleman, begs his son César to return from Europe, confident that he will know how to confront the oppressor.
He was called a saint and a sinner, a lawman and a criminal, a hero and a villain. Indians feared him, saying he was impossible to kill, but some people traveled hundreds of miles to try. Although his death by natural causes likely disappointed the many outlaws seeking his life, it also fulfilled a prophecy given by Joseph Smith that no bullet or blade would ever harm Porter Rockwell. Rockwell saved the life of the Prophet more than once and became a legend as a frontiersman, a marksman, and a man of iron nerve. And though many outsiders characterized Porter Rockwell as a notorious vengeful murderer, those who knew him saw a protector, a miraculous healer, and a loyal friend.
Full of booze, bluster, and fight "Black Pete," a big "bad man" of the wild west comes from the local saloon ready to put daylight through anybody and everybody within the range of his voice and the reach of his gun and, to further convince the crowd that he is the terror of the territory, lands on an inoffensive bystander knocking him down. "Billy" is an entirely different sort of a citizen; he is a young chap living with his sister whom he loves very dearly; their love is mutual. Billy has received a letter and stops on his way home in an opening in the woods to read it. While thus engaged, an Indian girl is making her way through the woods. "Black Pete" coming along the pass sees and attacks her. Billy springs to her defense and knocks "Pete" down; in falling he strikes his head on a stone and is killed.
A sheriff who seems to be sluggish has arrived at the wilderness saloon where the rogues await. However, he has a mysterious ability to "get out of the film"...
In Oklahoma, kindhearted outlaw Brick Willock rescues little Lahoma Gledware and her father Henry from certain death at the hands of his outlaw band. In the course of the rescue, he kills Kansas Kimball, the brother of the outlaws' leader Red Kimball, who vows vengeance against Brick. Brick renounces his life of crime, and after Gledware relinquishes custody of his daughter to marry an Indian princess, the old cowboy gives refuge to the little girl, raising her with the help of neighbor Bill Atkins.
In 1890, the year of the U.S. census, chaos erupts when a stranger named Strindler arrives in a small town in Arizona and requests money for providing the names of dead Mexican laborers. Adapted from the novel by Nikolai Gogol.
When John Barrabbee's plane makes an emergency landing, he wanders off and joins Roy's cattle drive. Later he learns he was killed when his plane resumed its flight and crashed. He also learns his daughter is going to sell his ranch and marry a man he dislikes. So he gives Roy a job on the ranch and sends him off to see if he can prevent both of these events while he remains in hiding. Written by Maurice VanAuken Western girl moves east and influenced badly by her snobby fiance. She returns to sell her deceased father's ranch. The father isn't really dead, though; he's hoping that his friend Roy can restore the girl's western values. Songs include "New Moon Over Nevada," "A Cowboy has to Yodel in the Morning," and "The Harum Scarum Baron of the Harmonium." Written by Ed Stephan
In Part Three, entitled "The Last Fight," gangster Santer Jr. attempts to seize an oil well on Indian territory. To prevent this, Winnetou and Old Shatterhand must reconcile the warring Indian tribes so that they can take up the fight against the henchmen of the criminal.
When drug addict Jason is forced to wear an ankle tracker and serve parole on a run-down ranch, he unexpectedly meets his veteran grandfather, Griff, whom Jason thought was dead. Trapped together, the two men wrestle through their bitterness, as enemies close in to collect a long overdue debt.
An immigrant family in California’s Central Valley faces the loss of their land and way of life. One of the few remaining ranchers in the Bay Area watches urban sprawl creep in from every direction. Cowboys work in the shadow of the historic Hearst Castle. One of the largest Black landowners in the state discovers Native American artifacts on his ranch. You Just Can’t See Them From the Road is a documentary portrait of modern West Coast ranchers—invisible to and misunderstood by the rapidly modernizing society they sustain.