In 1885, Walter Burke and his two partners make their living as bounty hunters as a means to secure enough money to buy the cattle ranch they always dreamed of owning. When Walter's sister passes away, Walter takes a trip east to assume responsibility of her only son. As an heir, the boy stands to inherit his mother's estate, despite protests from the boy's stepfather. Walter takes the boy west on a journey into a world he has only read about in schoolbooks and dime store novels. Midway through their travels, the boy's stepfather kidnaps the boy for his inheritance. Walter and his partners form a cross country, Pony Express type ride in a desperate attempt to foil the stepfather and save the boy's life.