 Texas cowpoke Bob Seton (John Wayne) comes to a Kansas town with his friend, Doc Crunch (George  Gabby  Hayes), and runs for town marshal against school teacher Will Cantrell (Walter Pidgeon.) Seton is elected but loses out to Cantrell for the hand of Mary McCloud (Claire Trevor.) When the Civil War breaks out, Cantrell organizes a raider band, supposedly on the side of the South, but which, in reality, is nothing but a guerilla army that loots and robs from both sides. Cantrell has dreams of carving out his own empire out of Kansas. Cantrell leads his guerillas on a raid against Lawrence, Kansas, where they are defeated and Cantrell is killed. His widow finds happiness with Seton, the man she truly loves.