Albert Salmi is the sole survivor of an Indian battle who decides to live as an Apache. Needing to fulfill an Army contract for the sale of horses, John Cannon, Buck, Manolito and Wind head for Indian country to round up a wild herd. Confronted by a tribe of embittered Apaches led by White Horse and Red Eagle, Cannon is allowed access to the herd only on condition that White Horse accompany the group with Buck left behind in the Apache camp.

In a flashback sequence, John Cannon and brother Buck retrace their lives of years ago when lawman John captures Buck, who is wanted for bank robbery and murder. En route to town for trial, the brothers are followed by Buck's former partners, who are determined to see that the true story never is known.

Efforts of a young Apache warrior to make peace with the white man are undermined by the belligerence of his long-embittered tribal chief. Determined to ease the ever-present threat of all-out war, youthful Two Pony negotiates a plan for peace with John Cannon whereby the Indian lad is temporarily housed at the High Chaparral to learn the blacksmith trade. His rebellious chieftain, Grey Wolf, thwarts the peace effort by carrying out a series of harassing attacks against Cannon and his herds.

A half-breed Indian lad whose life has been saved by men of the Cannon ranch strives to repay the debt. John Cannon, Buck and Manolito intervene when ranchers Fraley and Henderson attempt to hang Wind, whom they accuse of rustling cattle. The boy's indebtedness later figures significantly in the defense against a series of mysterious and costly raids on a major cattle drive.

Claiming to have been imprisoned by the Apaches for 15 years, a white man is befriended by the Cannons who soon regret their helpfulness. After aiding Talbot whom they find injured, John Cannon, Victoria, Buck and Manolito become suspicious of the man's true purpose for being in the Cannon Ranch area. It is Wind who uncovers evidence to confirm their suspicions.

Embittered former revolutionary Diego De La Paula leads his newly-formed army of liberation in a series of harassing raids on the vast lands and herds of the Cannons and Montoyas. He charges they won their wealth at the expense of his deposed hero, Maximilian. Aware of the seriousness and growing destructive power of the vengeful Diego, John Cannon and Don Sebastian Montoya join forces to thwart the attacks with a unique plan that results in a face-to-face confrontation between the elder Montoya and the self-styled liberator. good show

Gilbert Roland guest stars as the surprise heir to the Montoya ranch in this special two-hour presentation. The sudden, peaceful passing of Don Sebastian Montoya brings his daughter Victoria, his son Manolito, John Cannon and Buck to the Montoya ranch to attend funeral services and to settle estate matters. All are amazed to learn the will leaves the vast Montoya holding to Don Sebastian's ne'er-do-well brother Don Domingo, a charming, irresponsible rascal currently living in Mexico City. Upon his return to the family home to claim his legacy, Domingo shocks the family by announcing he plans to sell the ranch and travel. A series of unexplained raids on his new-found cattle and property serves to uncover a little-known dimension of Don Domingo

Embittered over the loss of his home and grandson in fire during a bandit raid, Casement vows to track down Reese, Gail and Wiley, the men responsible. He trails them to Tucson where his friends of the Chaparral offer to help, but the determined Casement wants to face the men alone.

Ricardo Montalban guest-stars as a priest who obtains money from the Cannon family, presumably to finance his search for a religious statue, but channels the funds to the poor. Father Sanchez is forced to ride to New Orleans to purchase a fake statue when Victoria persuades John Cannon to provide the needed funds. Buck and Manolito serve as escorts for the priest and his statue. They are joined by Mavis and Gillis, who plot to steal it. When Gillis starts to rob the group, Father Sanchez reveals the statue is phony.

Needing to get away temporarily from the rigors of ranch life, Buck chooses the raucous Fourth of July holiday for the time and the roughest town in the territory for the place Soon after his arrival in Spokes, a lawless community run by tough China Pierce, Buck witnesses a saloon shootout in which Pierce's son Bud is killed by Jones, an old friendless trapper who is seriously wounded. Although it was a fair fight, cowering townspeople refuse to help Jones, so Buck goes to the man's aid and then mounts a vigil to await the inevitable explosive confrontation with Pierce.

John Cannon faces alienation of family and friends when he maintains his decision to aid a band of revolutionists. John Cannon, seeing a financial windfall in the sale of guns, ammunition and horses to ill-equipped Mexican rebels, negotiates with their leader over strong objections from his Mexican-born wife, Victoria, and her brother, Manolito. Even when Manolito elects to leave the Cannon ranch for good, John continues his profit-making deals despite the reaction of his family.

Manolito is jailed in a case of mistaken identity on charges of holdup and murder. En route back to the Cannon ranch from a cattle purchase, Manolito is arrested when mistakenly identified as a member of a gang who held up a gold shipment hours earlier. He is released when an old friend Dave Redman, a fast-rising leader of the community in which Mano is being held, vouches for him. Later, when Mano finds himself framed for murder, he learns who his real friends are.

Fernando Lamas guest-stars as a Mexican bandit turned revolutionary who captures and prepares to execute the Cannon Ranch hands to prove his power. Manolito is jailed by El Caudillo, the Mexican bandit, when Conchita lures the group across the border. Billy Blue Cannon is allowed to escape, and he returns with El Caudillo's old enemy, Don Sebastian, and the entire group, except ranch hand Pedro, then is jailed. Hope for escape fades when El Caudillo prepares to shoot the group before frightened villagers to prove his power and to force them to join his revolution to conquer Mexico.

Ramon Novarro, silent film notable is guest star as Padre Guillermo, who flees Mexico to escape the vendetta of a twisted killer. The padre is accompanied by two nuns and Maria. John Cannon agrees to protect the group when Maria's demented fiancé Ramon, who has plundered the padre's Mexican convent, arrives on the scene. Maria rides into the desert intent on sacrificing herself to prevent more bloodshed. Manolito finds Maria, but is trapped with the girl by Ramon.

Victoria is kidnapped by outlaws and forced to work as a cantina waitress. Enroute to the Montoya Ranch with a large sum of cash for a cattle purchase, Victoria and Buck are overpowered by bandits Bates and Gideon who take her to an outlaw refuge and leave Buck stranded in the desert. Made to work as a cantina hostess for town boss Robbins, the stunning Victoria soon has the entire outlaw band vying for her attentions. She decides to play one man against the other in a plan to escape.

En route to a bordertown fiesta, Buck invites trouble when he befriends a Mexican boy. Buck encounters Homero Jose, an itinerant promoter whose income comes from fights he stages between friendless Mexican youths for anyone willing to wager on the outcome. Repelled by the sight of 11-year-old Beto being beaten, Buck takes him away in hopes of finding him a new home; but a vengeful Jose takes up their trail, vowing to get the boy back.

Against John Cannon's advice, Mano helps Sean McLaren, an Irish miner, and his friends in their strike against dangerous working conditions. McLaren and his friend Scanlon are sentenced to the chain gang for fighting with Cass Gregg, mine superintendent. Mano helps the two escape. John Cannon favors negotiations to improve conditions while McLaren insists sabotage will provide more direct results. When Scanlon is fatally beaten by Gregg, McLaren decides to destroy the mine, and Manolito appears helpless to stop him.

Manolito leaves the routine of the Cannon Ranch searching excitement and becomes involved with three uniformed musicians. Mano contemplated joining El Lobo, his old bandit friend, until he learns El Lobo has robbed Capt. Ellie Strong and her two followers. He steals money from the bandit to finance Capt. Strong's trip to Tombstone to escape El Lobo and the Mexican authorities, who seek Manolito's capture for petty crimes. Buck takes an interest in Capt. Strong and joins the group. The success of the trip appears questionable when El Lobo, Apaches and Mexican authorities appear.

Bandits take advantage of Manolito's affinity for a pretty face by absconding with one of his girlfriends and cash, the theft of which threatens the loss of the Cannon ranch. Entrusted with money to buy a huge cattle herd, Manolito is overpowered by Matar and Kyle who head for the border with both the booty and Manolito's fiery girlfriend, Juanita. John Cannon, Buck and Blue and Manolito give chase but it is the feminine wiles of Juanita and Victoria Cannon with which the bandits soon learn they must contend.

Joanna Moore stars as the pretty head of a struggling freight company to whom smitten Buck Cannon not only offers his help but a proposal of marriage. Buck is swept off his feet by the down-to-earth Charly Converse, who hits town with her crew of wagons and drivers bent on building a freight-hauling business. Buck stuns everybody with his decision to take a wife. Pardee, Charly's unscrupulous competitor, makes a last ditch stand to run her out of town, and the business as well as Buck's romance undergoes a true test.

The Cannon Ranch is threatened by an Indian war when the military sends a bounty hunter after an Apache brave accused of murder. Johnny Ringo reveals to his old friend Manolito that he has been assigned by the cavalry to arrest Keono. Manolito, fearing Ringo may trigger an Indian uprising, insists on accompanying the bounty hunter. Ignoring Manolito's warnings, Ringo gets his man and involves himself and the men of the Chaparral Ranch in a hopelessly one-sided shoot-out with attacking Apaches.

Joe, foreman of the Cannon Ranch, threatens to quit over John Cannon's mistrust of a new hired hand but later realizes that John's suspicions were well-founded. In need of new help for an upcoming cattle drive, Joe hires drifter Jelks, whose attitude and actions are questioned by the boss. Dissention erupts between John and his foreman over the new man, who inadvertently solves their differences by proving one of them wrong.

Men of the Cannon ranch are caught in the middle of a confrontation between a neighboring rancher and a young cavalry officer determined to arrest him. When Lt. Jason Adams reveals his intent to bring in neighboring rancher Henry Simmons on a long-standing desertion charge, Billy Blue makes an ill-advised effort to warn Simmons and his daughter Martha. Resigned to giving himself up, Simmons prepares to do so but, fearing for her father's life, Martha reacts and provokes a military siege of their home.

Returning home from a visit to her father's ranch, Victoria and her escorts Sam and Pedro find infant Joey, the only survivor of an Indian raid on his parent's wagon. When the boy's grandfather, Dan Casement, spared only because he had gone ahead to scout for water, insists on leaving with the child, a concerned Victoria balks, insisting that she can better care of the baby en route to the safety of the Cannon ranch. Relenting, Casement joins them in their slow trek across the desert while Indians stalk them, awaiting the best time to attack.

Fearing for the life of his threatened brother Buck, John Cannon accepts the demands of a blackmailer. Confronted by the demands of one-time gunman Tulsa Red, John has little choice but to turn over $5,000 to the man who has threatened to goad Buck into a shootout that John knows his brother will lose. Upon learning of how he was used, an angered Buck takes his own steps to recover the money and his pride.