Dave Hart was a lingerie salesman in Chicago who'd always dreamed of being a cowboy. He had named his three children after Western writers and an actor – 16-year-old son Zane after
Zane Grey, 15-year-old daughter L'Amour after
Louis L'Amour, and 10-year-old son John Wayne (called Duke) after the famous
Western star. After suffering a mild heart attack Dave decided to follow his dream, and purchased the Flying Tumbleweed Ranch, sight unseen, after reading a sales brochure published in 1957. Duke is the only other family member in favor of moving out West. The property is a dude ranch in disrepair, near the town of Sholo, Nevada, population 90. Sholo's business district has a trading post - grocery store run by a Native American named Auggie, and the Hanging Tree Cafe, run by the sheriff, R.O., and his ex-wife Rose. Dave goes out to the Flying Tumbleweed and is shot at by Jake, a grizzled ex-convict who claims to be the ranch foreman. Jake informs Dave that the man who sold the ranch has died, and his ashes are scattered over the Flying Tumbleweed. The foreman is able to find a group of motley ranch hands, some with a prison record. Dave's wife, Allie, is willing to try ranch life for a while, though the elder children initially have little enthusiasm for the idea. ==Cast==