From Noon Till Three

In the late 19th century American West, Graham Dorsey and his gang head toward a small-town bank to rob it. Graham is tormented by a nightmare in which the robbery ends in their destruction, foreshadowing disaster. The gang must also find a replacement horse after Graham's horse breaks a leg, complicating their plans.

The gang tries to steal a horse at the widow Amanda Starbuck's ranch. Amanda refuses to admit owning a horse, creating a tense standoff. Graham lies to his men and agrees to wait three hours at the ranch for their return, masking a hidden motive to confront Amanda later.

To manipulate Amanda, Graham pretends he is impotent, hoping to win her sympathy. Amanda resists with clever defiance, lying still and fully clothed as a form of refusal. Despite her resistance, Graham's ruse succeeds and they have sex three times, beginning a complicated bond.

As time passes, Graham and Amanda share long, thoughtful conversations about their pasts and futures, including Graham's odd wish to go straight and work in a bank. They dance to Amanda's music box, with Graham wearing Mr. Starbuck's old tuxedo, signaling a fragile tenderness between them. The bond deepens as they imagine a different life.

A neighbor arrives with news that Graham's gang has been caught and will be hanged in town that afternoon. Amanda urges Graham to ride out and help, hoping to keep him from danger and perhaps extend their time together. Graham agrees to ride out, intending only a brief nap, but the pursuit soon overtakes him.

Graham evades the posse by swapping clothes with a traveling dentist, Dr. Finger, at gunpoint and stealing his horse and wagon. The dentist is killed, and the posse retrieves the body and returns to Amanda's ranch. Amanda faints when she sees what she believes is Graham's corpse.

The first person Graham meets after the escape is Dr. Finger's dissatisfied customer, who helps identify him. Graham is arrested and imprisoned for Dr. Finger's crimes for a year. While inside, he reflects on his choices and meets fellow inmates who believe his tale.

Initially, Amanda is ostracized by the town for Graham's absence, but a passionate defense of their love changes minds. The townspeople forgive her and begin shaping a remarkable legend around Graham and Amanda. The story evolves into a bestselling narrative that expands beyond the West.

Graham reads the book From Noon Till Three while in prison, amused by how it distorts him. The legend grows as a book, dime novels, a stage play, and a song emerge from their story, making Amanda wealthy as the author of the romance. The world remembers them more for myth than for the reality.

After serving his sentence, Graham is freed and returns to Amanda incognito to test whether she would recognize him. On a guided tour of her ranch, he remains unseen until he reveals his identity. Amanda does not recognize him at first and becomes frightened when he speaks of their time together.

Graham shows Amanda something that's not in the book, finally proving his true identity. She remains frightened and, pressed by the fear of destroying the legend, she initially doesn't believe him until the moment of truth. She finally shoots herself rather than confront the possibility of their lives being exposed.

Heartbroken, Graham confronts how the legend has overshadowed the real people. He hears their song in a local saloon and later sees a stage production of From Noon Till Three, realizing the audience laughs at the real story. He is eventually arrested and sent to an insane asylum, where a few inmates believe him and offer some solace.