Sterling Hayden takes command of a wagon train - and the screen - for a rousing tale of frontier action and redemption. Army deserter Bart Laish (Hayden) is on the run and out for himself - until he figures his best escape is to hook up with a wagon train headed for Oregon. Fate gives him an opportunity: He assumes the identity of a dead friend, a major mortally wounded in a brutal Indian attack, and takes charge of the troopers escorting the besieged caravan. His leadership turns the tide - but as the convoy nears its final destination, Laish faces hard choices: Will he desert the wagon train and its secretly volatile cargo or face the challenge of a double-arrow shot into the dust? Coleen Gray, Tom Tully, Lee Van Cleef and beloved Western crooner Jimmy Wakely (warbling "The Weary Stranger") are featured in this exciting adventure directed on rugged Simi Valley locations by veteran Lesley Selander.