In the mid-19th century, Senator William J. Tadlock leads a group of settlers overland in a quest to start a new settlement in the Western US. Tadlock is a highly principled and demanding taskmaster who is as hard on himself as he is on those who have joined his wagon train. He clashes with one of the new settlers, Lije Evans, who doesn't quite appreciate Tadlock's ways. Along the way, the families must face death and heartbreak and a sampling of frontier justice when one of them accidentally kills a young Indian boy.
Kirk Douglas
as Sen. William J. Tadlock
Robert Mitchum
as Dick Summers
Richard Widmark
as Lije Evans
Lola Albright
as Rebecca 'Becky' Evans
Jack Elam
as Preacher Weatherby
Stubby Kaye
as Sam Fairman
Michael McGreevey
as Brownie Evans
Harry Carey, Jr.
as Mr. McBee
Connie Sawyer
as Mrs. McBee
Michael Witney
as Johnnie Mack
William Lundigan
as Michael Moynihan
Elisabeth Fraser
as Mrs. Fairman
