Post Description

Plot

In late 19th-century Arizona, an Apache-raised white man, John Russell, faces prejudice in the white world after he returns for his inheritance (a gold watch and a boarding house) upon his father's death. Deciding to sell the house in order to buy a herd of horses-which does not endear him to the boarders who live there or to the caretaker, Jessie-Russell ends up riding a stagecoach with Jessie and unhappily married boarders Doris and Billy Lee Blake leaving town.

Three others ride with them: Indian agent Professor Alexander Favor, his aristocratic wife Audra and the crude Cicero Grimes. Mrs. Favor eventually dislikes Russell enough (upon discovering that he is an Indian) to request that he ride up top with driver Henry Mendez.

The stagecoach is robbed by a gang led by Grimes, who knew that Dr. Favor had been carrying money that he stole from the very Apaches whom Russell grew up with. Grimes rides off, taking Mrs. Favor as a hostage.

Russell manages to shoot two of the outlaws-one of whom is Jessie's lover, sheriff-gone-bad Frank-who have the stolen money in their saddle bags. He insists that Dr. Favor give the recovered money back to him. The bigots he rode with now appeal to Russell to lead them to safety.

Russell's survivalist instincts clash with their naive and "civilized" attitudes toward others, especially when Grimes and his remaining gang offer to trade Mrs. Favor for the money. Their pity for Mrs. Favor's situation eventually outweighs Russell's personal dislike for her and the knowledge that Grimes is using her to bait a trap. Russell gives the money to Billy Lee,asking him to take it back to the Indians from whom it was stolen.

Russell descends from the group's hideout with saddle bags that he pretends are full of the money, while Billy Lee stays in the hideout and aims a rifle at one of the outlaws. Russell cuts Mrs Favor loose and she slowly makes her way up to the group, but by the time Russell throws the saddle bags to Grimes Mrs Favor has collapsed at a point where she is obscuring Billy Lee's target. In the ensuing firefight, although Russell is able to kill Grimes, Billy Lee is unable to prevent an outlaw shooting Russell dead.