Big Eli Wakefield (Burt Lancaster) and his young son Little Eli (Donald MacDonald) are rugged Kentucky adventurers who long for an exciting life on the Texas frontier. They soon learn, however, that the greatest challenge to their progress lies not in the unchartered wilderness but in the people they meet along the way. Thrust into the midst of a bitter family feud, Eli confronts both the deadly reage of a madman (Walter Matthau in his screen debut) and the love of a beautiful woman (Diana Lynn). Lancaster made his directorial debut with this action-packed Western.