On a train from
Kansas City to
Wyoming, the
brakeman throws Jeff Jimson off for
freighthopping, and he is saved from being run over by Dempsey Rae. Later that night, Dempsey and Jeff watch as another train hopper kills the brakeman. When the authorities try to arrest Jeff for the crime, Dempsey proves the other man was guilty. He is given half of the $100 reward for finding the murderer. Dempsey has a female acquaintance, Idonee, in town, and both men decide to stay after being hired to work (as alleged fellow Texans) by Strap Davis on a 10,000-head ranch for its new owner, Reed Bowman. Dempsey tells Jeff that many men follow a star to set their destination. When asked by Jeff what star he follows, Dempsey tells him that he follows no particular star. Dempsey teaches Jeff how to shoot, rope, ride, and herd cattle. When Bowman finally arrives, Dempsey is surprised to find that he has been working for a very attractive woman, Reed Bowman. Bowman has plans to triple the size of her herd, which will crowd out the other ranchers on the available range. Dempsey falls for her, but the inevitable range war Bowman creates prompts him to defect to the other side. He has a deep hatred for
barbed wire, but he finds that there is no clear moral side to the fight. After being estranged from his protégé, Dempsey finally comes to peace with Jeff before riding off to a new life. ==Cast==