American Outlaws

Confederate guerillas raid a Union Army camp late in the Civil War. The attackers are briefly ambushed, but Frank James's sharp shooting and Jesse James's distractions help the group weather the assault. Surviving the encounter, they plan to return to Missouri.

With the Confederacy surrendering, the James and Younger brothers decide to head home. They travel back to Missouri to be with their families and farms.

Upon their return, their town is occupied by the Union Army. Zee, Jesse's childhood friend and cousin, has grown into a striking young woman, and a man is hanged in the town square.

Farmers are pressured to sell their lands to the expanding railroad company. Thaddeus Rains and Allan Pinkerton push intimidation, threatening burns or worse if they refuse.

Frank discovers the railroad doesn't need the land it claims. When several railroad men press Cole Younger to sell, he loses his temper and shoots two of them. The incident triggers the authorities to plan to hang him.

Jesse, Cole Younger, and their allies stage a daring rescue. During the escape, Jesse is shot in the shoulder and must hide at Zee's.

Several weeks later, the railroad sets fire to the James home, killing Jesse's mother. The group initially seeks revenge against railroad men but soon shifts to stealing bank payrolls and plundering trains, hoping to draw the army's attention.

With Pinkerton and Rains in pursuit, they dub themselves the James–Younger Gang and begin robbing banks and supplying trains. The publicity elevates them into local folk heroes.

Leadership tensions erupt as Cole feels overshadowed by Jesse's rising fame. After an argument, Jesse steps back and lets Cole plan a robbery, which turns out to be a Pinkerton trap set by Rains.

Jim is shot and killed during the bungled robbery. This loss pushes Jesse and the others to leave the gang, and Jesse later marries Zee.

Without the James brothers, the gang struggles and loses much of their early public support. The Younger brothers are not as respected as the James–Younger Gang had been.

Pinkerton locates Jesse and arrests him. He is then transported by train to a jail cell, chained in a rear car as the authorities move him toward confinement.

On the train, Jesse is chained in a rear car but tricks a deputy into revealing his gun. He steals the weapon and climbs to the top of the train car to escape.

Zee and the remainder of the gang fire a cannon at the train, stopping it and rescuing Jesse. The daring act marks a dramatic final act of their pursuit.

Confronted with Rains and Pinkerton, Jesse fires at neither of them but strikes Rains' prized watch. Pinkerton advises him to go to Tennessee, noting that the railroad has no interest there.