Arizona

Phoebe Titus endures a hard frontier life as Tucson's only American woman. She draws the interest of Peter Muncie, a wagon-train traveler, and offers him a leadership role in a new freight company she forms with store owner Solomon Warner.

Peter begins courting Phoebe but makes clear he isn't ready to settle. Phoebe offers him the job heading the new freight company, signaling a practical partnership as well as romance.

As the Civil War breaks out, Jefferson Carteret arrives and uses the unrest to sway residents. He pretends to be Phoebe's ally while coercing her rival Lazarus Ward into a secret partnership.

Carteret and Ward move to ruin Phoebe's enterprise by bribing Indian chief Mano to attack her wagons. The scheme showcases Carteret's manipulation of the community and his control over Ward.

Confederate troops temporarily win the town's allegiance, but their hold is brief as Union forces are recalled east. The wavering townspeople realize the danger of relying on the Confederate presence.

Union troops of the California Column return in April 1862, and Peter Muncie serves as a sergeant. He helps Phoebe secure a lucrative army freight contract that stabilizes her business.

Ward accuses Phoebe of supplying ammunition to the departed Confederates, sowing distrust with the Union commander. Peter and Phoebe work to uncover the truth and protect their contract.

Peter and Phoebe corner Ward at gunpoint and force him to tell the truth about the slander. The confrontation exposes Ward's deceit and restores Phoebe's army freight contract.

Peter's enlistment comes to an end, freeing him to pursue their shared ambitions. Phoebe presses ahead with their business and land dreams, keeping momentum for the future.

Phoebe envisions a cattle ranch and has already bought land cheaply from settlers who left because of Indian troubles. She asks Peter to travel to Nebraska to secure cattle for the operation.

Carteret's men disguise themselves as Mexican bandits and steal the army's $15,000 payment to Phoebe. The loss threatens the viability of her enterprise and heightens the stakes.

Carteret offers Phoebe a loan secured by her business and land, and she reluctantly accepts to keep the venture afloat. The uneasy deal ties her fate to his control.

Six months later, Carteret tells Phoebe the loan will come due the next day. Peter is half a day away with the herd and prepares to defend it against the attack; he and his men fight to safeguard the cattle.

Peter extracts a confession from a Carteret henchman about the plot. In a brutal twist, Carteret shoots Ward and kills the informant, escalating the feud.

The town celebrates Phoebe and Peter's marriage as they secure their future. When Peter goes to settle accounts with Carteret, shots ring out and Phoebe carries her wounded husband home.