Captain Trask (Walter Abel), commander of the local fort, calls in Hawks due to trouble with the neighboring Sioux tribe, lead by Chief Red Cloud (Eduard Franz). Hawks visits the Chief to threaten and cajole for peace, and falls for his striking daughter, Onahti (Elsa Martinelli), who resists Hawks’ lusty advances. Tensions mount when gold-hungry settlers Chivington (Lon Chaney) and Wes Todd (Walter Matthau), enrage the Chief’s brother, Grey Wolf (Harry Landers), by attempting to trade whiskey for the Indian’s gold. Hawks must broker a peace treaty, however, so the Sioux will allow a wagon train to pass through their land unharmed. Hawks accompanies the wagon train by the side of widowed mother, Susan Rogers (Diana Douglas), who hopes Johnny will marry her. Hawks, however, is preoccupied with his love for Onahti and with Chivington and Todd’s dangerous quest to locate the Sioux gold.