Out of the frying pan and into the fire: Civil War draft dodger Drew Dixon (Barry Brown) avoids the horrors of war by fleeing west, only to become mixed up with a gang of lawless youths led by the debonair con man Jake Rumsey (Jeff Bridges). The allure of a free-spirited desperado life is quickly spoiled by a series of mishaps that leave the bandits lacking food and money, and in constant fear of more sinister criminals like Big Joe (David Huddleston).