When Comanches go on the warpath, settlers take refuge in Ft. Eagle Rock commanded by Capt. Jackson. Undercover agent Cliff McPherson arrives at the undermanned fort to lend advice and support. He learns that the Comanches have been stirred up by local rancher Morton who wants to take control of the oil under the Indians' reservation.
Based on the novel by Friedrich Gerstäcker, the film, set entirely in the state of Arkansas, tells of the conflict of interests between the local townspeople and homesteaders on the surrounding land, miners arriving during the gold rush, cowboys and cattle thieves who cause problems in the area, and the native tribes of the region. Two adventurers arrive in town and try to restore peace to it and its inhabitants.
This version takes a look at the character in the years before he became a legend. It all begins with the introduction of Luke Hartman, a 20-year old Boston law student who witnesses the murder of his brother, a Texas Ranger. He himself is wounded in the midst of the chaos, but is rescued by the Apache Tonto... and subsequently becomes smitten by Tonto's sister Alope. He then devotes his life to avenging the death of his brother and fighting injustice, and in the process becoming a worldwide legend.
Chet Kasedon is after the Indians hidden gold mine but Chief Moya will not reveal it's location. He has also hired mining engineers Gale and Mortimer to locate the mine. When Gale sees Kasedon's cruelty to Moya, he switches sides.
New inmate Clay Treyton, doing time for fisticuffs, is sent to a Montana ranch where prisoners spend time working with horses. Encouraged by the warden, the men ride in prison rodeos, and murderer Ry Weston, an ex-pro horseman, is the team's top performer. Clay and Ry become friends, exchanging lessons about horses and life. But when prison black marketeers start leaning on Ry, the men have more than rodeos to worry about.
Protecting himself in an attack by rustlers, Rancher Steve Holden believes he has killed one of the attackers, young Bud Mathews, who in reality has warned Holden of the rustlers' approach. Unaware that Mathews was actually killed by rustler boss Cass Barton, Holden heads out to Mathews' home town where he plans to tell the boy's family of his death but instead uncovers a plan by a local businessman to force Mathews' father out of his ranch.
Cesare Campo is a hard-riding and hard-loving Argentine gaucho. Yvonne LaMarr is a famous Parisian singer on her way to play an engagement in a Buenos Aires cabaret. THe plane she is flying in is forced to land on the Pampas. Campo and his riders take the passengers to a hotel. Yvonne and Campo quickly fall in love, but she had to leave to make her singing engagement in Buenos Aires. Campo follows her and discovers that his horse that was the favorite to win the Big Race has been stolen.
The rancher whom Tom works for has entrusted Tom with a bag of gold to take to the bank. But on arriving at the bank, Tom finds that it is closed for the day. It is not long before Tom is lured into a game of cards, and loses the rancher's money. Soon there is a warrant out for Tom's arrest on a charge of embezzlement, and his situation becomes increasingly desperate.
Cisco and Gordito arrive to find there is an outlaw operating in the area who is assumed to be the Cisco Kid. When a reward is offered for his capture and a large shipment of money goes out, Cisco is on hand. Seeing the gang rob the stage he goes after them only to be wounded. The gang leader leaves Cisco's handkerchief at the scene and now he is wanted for the murder he tried to break up.
Wing Foot is a Navajo educated in an otherwise all-white school. He experiences prejudice from both the whites (because of his race) and the Navajos (who disown him because of his upbringing). Thus, Wing Foot is looked upon as neither Indian nor white, but simply a "redskin".
A cowboy whose sister has been murdered by a gang of vicious outlaws seeks his revenge. But a venerable old lawman is about to teach the vigilante a lesson about taking the law into one's own hands.
The Younger brothers return to Missouri after the Civil War with intent to avenge the misdeeds of William Merrick, a crooked banker who has been buying up warrants on back-taxes and dispossessing the farmers.
Gangster Chandler and his accomplice Tracy arrive at a dude ranch. Cowboy Kentucky arrives at the same time. When Tracy double-crosses his boss and has the stage robbed, Kentucky finds the outlaws and brings them in. Tracy frames him for the murder of the driver but his pal Cactus gets him out of jail. He returns just as Chandler shoots Tracy and Kentucky finds himself arrested for another murder.
Dave Boland (Carlos East) wears a strange medallion and robs the bank. He also takes the banker's daughter with him. Then he rapes her and put the satanic mark on her body. He was caught and was prepared for hanging. At moment before hanging Dave uses his supernatural power and makes a local shoe-shiner his accomplice. While running from sheriff Dave was injured and after some time dies. But before his death Dave gives this medallion to shoe-shiner Oscar and asks him to take revenge in the name of Satan. So he does it and also continue to rape and kill women never forgetting to leave satanic mark on their bodies...
In his first starring Western for RKO, young Tim Holt must not only carry on his father's freight business but also hunt down his murderer. A certain Matt Gardner wants to corner the freight business to Pecos and persuades young Zack Sibley's wagon master to switch sides. Zack also earns the enmity of Gardner's son Coe, who takes umbrage to the youngster's flirtation with pretty Helen Lee. It all comes to a head during a food shortage in Pecos, a near-disaster that persuades the wagon master to switch sides once again. When the dust settles, Zack learns that old man Gardner is actually Carl Anderson, the man who murdered his father.
Thanks to the chicanery of his crooked uncle Major Cosgrave, Jet has been cheated out of his father's property and branded a pariah. He spends the rest of the film trying to regain his birthright and clear his name. The two women in Jet's life are Judy Polsen, who chases him for so long that he finally catches her, and Alice Austin, Major Cosgrave's fianee.