Having grown up on adjoining farms in Nebraska, two cousins are discharged on the East Coast at the close of the Civil War. As they start for home, with only one old mule, they decide to gather wild cattle to take back with them. During the first week they are accosted by two men and are forced to kill them in self-defense. After burying them, they keep their weapons and horses. As part of a gang of outlaws, the four who remain pursue the cousins for revenge. The cousins help a family with twin daughters who are in trouble as they attempt to cross a flooded river. They join the family and confront problem after problem as they make their way across the country. As love begins to blossom between the young couples, they still must resolve the menace of the outlaws.