Yates and Favor argue over giving the drovers time off but Favor has a herd lined up to leave the next day. Rowdy quits but on Favor's word is offered a herd of his own. He vows to beat Favor but will skill or luck be the deciding factor?

When Favor hits a man looking for a job, the man hits a fence killing him. Favor is faced with several men wanting revenge at an inquest and the man's young and poor but pretty widow with kids wanting Favor to take her with him.

Favor hears Piney Kinney wants to join the herd thinking it will solve his need for drovers. However, Piney who lost his herd and most of his ranch, is working with a gang to rob the bank and use Favor's herd as cover for their escape.

Favor sees his herd destroyed after he takes a calculated risk in taking a dangerous short cut to get the herd to market ahead of a rival. Favor and the owners have to decide if he is up to bossing another herd.

At trails end, Mushy is embarrassed and denounced by Favor for being conned out of the drive's wagons and supplies by a band of Gypsies. Dejected, Mushy wanders off alone in the desert to be followed by Favor and Rowdy.

Damon is broke and needs workers to finish his railroad into Oxford. The 28 men on Favor's crew are the ticket to do the work. Damon concocts a fight with the drovers while Favor is charged with abducting his girlfriend to trap them.

A fugitive convinces Rowdy to bring him to the sheriff and hand over the reward to his wife. But the fugitive is murdered on the way to the sheriff, no wife can be found, and three friends of the fugitive are out to kill Rowdy.

When a officer dies, Cpl. Dasovik is forced to take over the mission but he has no control over the men. The men pick up Favor when they take some of his cattle. Dasovik soon learns he is alone but he is determined to carry out his orders.

The drive reaches Junction City so the men are ready to blow off steam. They want hotel rooms, good food, and baths. Their reception in Junction City is icy at best including the livery stable and Favor seems to be ignoring their plight.

At the end of a drive, Favor fed up with bad luck takes it out on old Josh. When a potential inheritance turns out to be a dream, Josh's pride gets in the way of realizing he must bend sometimes when others want to help him.

Rowdy had given testimony against his friend Capt. Ballinger, resulting in a death sentence. Now Ballinger has called on Rowdy to witness the possible execution unless a way can be found to escape that punishment.

Marshal Shaw arrests outlaw Reed McCuller. Shaw tries to use Favor's drive as cover to avoid a posse led by Lindsay McCuller, who wants his brother dead, are onto the plan. A stampede results. Shaw is killed by Lindsay but the law arrives.

In Apache land Rowdy is sent to recover cattle taken by them. The Chief agrees to return them but the agreement is messed up by some of the drovers. A wounded Rowdy discovers the Apache have white captives increasing the tension.

An Army deserter has left stolen Army property at Favor's camp (leading to Favor's arrest by an Army detail), and the deserter is intent on stealing money from a father and daughter who have recently left the drovers' camp alone.

Wishbone is supposed to be bringing a dead friend's herd to join the drive while Favor is faced with a raging prairie fire that threatens the herd. However, Wishbone learns his friend's ranch hands have a different plan for the herd.

Army Major, commander of his post, feeling denigrated by the Army, steals the Army's cash on his last day and packages it for Favor to mail to the Major who plans to abscond, but new information causes him to try returning it to Army.

When the herd refuses to drink or cross a river, Favor sends for a vet and a one-armed man shows up wanting a drover job. Rowdy learns the cattle need salt and the new hand knows where to find it nearby. However, he doesn't want to go there.

A wounded man wanders into camp with the strong box from a stagecoach robbery. Favor decides to hold the money till the next town but when two of the robbers enter camp and one gets away, the drive is hit with dangers from the robbers.

Wishbone quits the cattle drive because he falls in love with a family of three boys and an abused wife. The wife shoots her drunken husband when he starts beating Wishbone, who takes responsibility for the shooting to protect her.

Two calf women picking up calves drives don't want join the drovers. Rowdy comes to like the older dowdy sister but when a member of a buffalo hunt is killed by her for attacking her younger sister, Rowdy is threatened by his brother.

Several of Favor's men are sick with a mysterious illness. Favor and the sick men make it to the abandoned Gray Rock Hotel where they are protected from the cold and wind. They find a beautiful but strange woman with dangerous past.