Fighting Man of the Plains

During the Lawrence Massacre, Dancer was seeking revenge for the death of his own brother, which he believed was committed by Bert Slocum. In the chaos of the raid, he mistakenly shot Theodore Slocum, believing him to be his intended target. The mistake wasn't discovered until after the Civil War when detective George Cummings revealed the truth to Dancer.

While crossing a river by ferry near Lanyard, Kansas, a storm surge panicked the horses. Cummings was struck by a hoof and knocked overboard. Since Dancer was handcuffed to him, Cummings pulled Dancer into the water with him. Cummings drowned while still shackled to Dancer, who survived and collapsed on the riverbank.

After Cummings drowned while they were handcuffed together, Dancer saw an opportunity to escape his life as a wanted outlaw. He adopted Cummings' identity, claiming that his captive had drowned and that he was the detective. This false identity allowed him to start fresh in Lanyard and eventually become Town Marshal.

When they found Dancer on the riverbank with the drowned detective, Dave and Florence immediately knew he was lying about being Cummings. However, they chose not to expose him immediately, likely because they saw potential in having a honest lawman in town, or perhaps because they wanted to understand his true intentions before acting.

After Dancer rescued Evelyn Slocum from a gang attack by outdrawing and killing the ringleader, the townsfolk pleaded with him to become their Marshal. He initially refused, but Dave Oldham and Florence Peel confronted him about his true identity and convinced him to take the job, presumably hoping his skills could protect the town from Slocum's control.

Dancer's cover was blown when Yancey, a former Quantrill raider who fought alongside Dancer during the Lawrence Massacre, recognized him in Lanyard. Yancey revealed Dancer's true identity, forcing him to resign as Marshal. This recognition ultimately led to Tancred taking over as Marshal and the subsequent violence that engulfed the town.

Dancer's past as a Quantrill raider is established early in the film, making this recognition inevitable.

Jesse James arrived in Lanyard with the James-Younger Gang to rob Slocum's bank, hired by Charles Lanyard to ruin Slocum financially. When Dancer was being led to the hanging tree and Tancred shouted for rope, James rode forward with his rope, ironically saving Dancer's life. James considered Dancer an equal after Dancer had once saved his life, and he chose to help his old friend rather than let him hang.

The film establishes early on that Dancer and James were close allies during the Civil War, with Dancer having saved James' life.

After the shootout that killed Slocum, Tancred, and Yancey, Jesse James invited Dancer to join his gang. Dancer declined, choosing to stay in Lanyard. James acknowledged they were now equals since Dancer had once saved his life, then rode away with his gang. Dancer had clearly moved past his outlaw days and wanted a legitimate life.

Charles Lanyard, the town's founder, had hired the James-Younger Gang to rob Slocum's bank and financially ruin him. However, this plan intersected with Tancred and Yancey's own scheme to rob the bank and flee town. The simultaneous events created chaos, with the gang arriving just as Dancer was about to be hanged, leading to the climactic shootout.

Florence Peel, the saloonkeeper, was drawn to Dancer despite knowing he was lying about his identity. She saw his inherent goodness and his commitment to protecting the town, even when acting under a false name. Throughout the film, she supported him and ultimately revealed her feelings in the finale, with both hurrying toward each other as the film ends.

After Yancey recognized Dancer and exposed his true identity, Dancer was forced to resign as Marshal. Tancred, Slocum's psychotic associate, took over the position. Once in power, Tancred released Yancey and his gang from jail, and they began killing town leaders like Dave Oldham to consolidate control.

Tancred staged a kangaroo court and had Dancer arrested for the murder of Theodore Slocum, technically Bert Slocum's brother. Although Dancer had acted under the mistaken belief that Theodore was Bert, the court used this technicality to sentence him to hang, essentially as part of Slocum and Tancred's plot to eliminate him and take control of the town.