Broken Lance

Ranch owner Matt Devereaux grows a sprawling operation, built on hard work and a fierce, old-country spirit. He raises four sons to carry on the family business: Ben, Mike, Denny, and Joe. His control and ambition shape the household and set the tone for generations of decisions.

The three older brothers feel sidelined by Matt's authority and the sense that they are merely hands rather than heirs. They secretly unite against him, resenting his unwavering grip on every decision. The tension foreshadows a brewing family conflict.

Joe is Matt's son by his second wife, a Native American who pretends to be Mexican. He shows little interest in running the colossal estate and instead spends time on his mother's reservation and riding the range. His affection for his father remains, but his path diverges from his brothers.

The other sons interpret Matt's favoritism toward Joe as a rejection of them, deepening their resentment. They believe their father undervalues their contributions and prevents them from fully earning his trust. The emotional rift sharpens as rustling and loyalty issues loom.

During a cattle rustling operation, Matt, Ben, Joe, and two Indian workers corner the thieves. Two of the four accomplices are killed in the confrontation, underscoring the brutal realities of frontier justice. Joe pleads for leniency for his brothers, but Matt refuses to show mercy and banishes them.

When a crisis arises later, Matt reluctantly reintegrates his elder sons into the family despite lingering tensions. The rift with Joe's presence remains unresolved, but the household returns to a fragile balance for the time being. The family dynamic remains taut and volatile.

A copper mine on Matt's land dumps waste into a stream that waters the cattle, triggering Matt's fury. He leads a raid on the mine offices and confronts the director, escalating the confrontation into a legal clash. The incident marks a turning point in his control over the land and its resources.

To spare his father the humiliation of a court battle, Joe claims responsibility for the raid and is sentenced to three years in prison. His sacrifice deepens the family rift and leaves Ben and the others to operate in the wake of his absence. The legal battle casts a long shadow over the Devereaux legacy.

During Joe's prison term, Ben and the other brothers openly rebel against Matt, fracturing the household. Their actions culminate in a fatal stroke that ends Matt's life, shocking the family and changing the ranch's leadership. The death leaves the Devereaux legacy in turmoil.

Joe returns briefly for Matt's funeral, where he severs ties with his brothers and declares a blood feud. The ceremony marks a formal break within the family, with Joe unable to reconcile fully with the elder brothers. The feud now becomes a personal war rather than a dispute over property.

After serving his sentence, Joe comes back to the ranch and is counseled by his mother to forget revenge and leave the country. Her plea embodies a desire to preserve life and prevent further tragedies, contrasting with the brothers' hunger for retribution. Joe wavers between family loyalty and personal peace.

Just as Joe tries to move on, Ben ambushes him in a bid to kill him. Two Moons, the loyal ranch foreman, intervenes by shooting Ben dead, saving Joe's life. The attempted murder punctuates the ferocity of the feud and in the end alters the family line.

Time passes and Joe, now with his new wife Barbara, visits Matt's grave. He notices the down-turned lance—a symbol of the blood feud—and breaks it in half, symbolically ending the feud and choosing a path of reconciliation and closure. The ranch's future remains uncertain, but the feud is officially resolved.