Ben (Glenn Ford) and Marion (Henry Fonda) are two cowboys who make a meager living breaking wild horses. Their frequent employer Jim (Chill Wills), who always gets the better of them, talks them into taking a nondescript horse in lieu of some of their wages. Ben finds that the horse is un-rideable, he comes up with the idea of taking it to a rodeo and betting other cowhands they cannot ride it.

A young, determined sheriff and his posse chase a gang of murderous train robbers, and a kidnapped woman into New Mexico.

A veteran rodeo rider takes on a young apprentice in order to "teach him the ropes", and winds up competing against him.

Travails of a family heading West in a covered wagon.

A young Texas cowgirl raises a prize-winning calf, whose presence helps her recover from polio.

With his bronco-busting career on its last legs, Junior Bonner heads to his hometown to try his luck in the annual rodeo. But his fond childhood memories are shattered when he finds his family torn apart by his greedy brother and hard-drinking father.

Captain Maddocks will never be promoted beyond Captain because of a mistake that he made in the past. Lt. McQuade is a green rookie who is now under the command of the tough Captain and he does not seem to be able to do anything right. Lt. McQuade also has trouble with Tracey, but it will be the renegade Indians that will test him and teach him the importance of following orders.

Robert Conrad and Ross Martin reprise their roles as Secret Service agents of the 1890s.

Bronco riders travel through South Dakota and round up 400 wild horses in danger of extinction, then bring them to Fort Pierre where they are ridden by broncobusters in rodeo competition.