A Vietnam veteran who has become a drifter helps a young, single mother avenge her brother's murder and finds himself the target of a gang of dope smugglers on the Mexican border.

A lighthearted Western about a peppery New England lady who goes west to seek her fortune by writing about her experiences, and the attractive widow of a cavalry officer, both of whom go in search of Billy the Kid, teaming up to outwit gamblers, bounty hunters, and rough-and-tumble lawmen.

A report reaches the US Army Cavalry that the Apache leader Ulzana has left his reservation with a band of followers. A compassionate young officer, Lieutenant DeBuin, is given a small company to find him and bring him back; accompanying the troop is McIntosh, an experienced scout, and Ke-Ni-Tay, an Apache guide. Ulzana massacres, rapes and loots across the countryside; and as DeBuin encounters the remains of his victims, he is compelled to learn from McIntosh and to confront his own naivity and hidden prejudices.