Peaceful homesteaders, living among the huge redwood trees, attempt to avert possession of their land by a ruthless land baron.

Victoria Barkley heads the family of her adult children on the Barkley Ranch in California's San Joaquin Valley, near Stockton, in the 1870s. Bank robbers, horse thieves, revolutionaries and land grabbers keep the Barkleys on their toes.

Gary Cooper plays Lex Kearney, a U.S. Army major posing as a Confederate sympathizer. Kearney's ruse unmasks rustlers of Union horses, even though his true allegiance is revealed.

White heat: Cody Jarrett is the sadistic leader of a ruthless gang of thieves. Afflicted by terrible headaches and fiercely devoted to his 'Ma,' Cody is a volatile, violent, and eccentric leader. Cody's top henchman wants to lead the gang and attempts to have an 'accident' happen to Cody, while he is running the gang from in jail. But Cody is saved by an undercover cop, who thereby befriends him and infiltrates the gang. Finally, the stage is set...