Aging gunfighter Jack Beauregard (Henry Fonda) is weary of being pursued by those eager to take his life for various reasons. Longing for a peaceful retirement in Europe, he grapples with the challenge of gathering enough funds for his journey. During this time, he crosses paths with a peculiar man who goes by the name Nobody (Terence Hill), who declares himself to be an admirer of Jack.
This charming yet enigmatic figure, who is an adept gunman in his own right, is none too pleased with the notion of his hero fading into obscurity. He yearns for Jack's legacy to be immortalized in history and devises an outrageous plan to ensure this happens. His bold vision involves orchestrating a confrontation between Jack and a notorious 150-member bandit group known as The Wild Bunch.
Initially skeptical of Nobody's intentions, Jack perceives him merely as another ambitious gunslinger seeking to earn fame through his demise. However, Nobody is dead serious about his scheme. The stage for this epic showdown is set by a man named Mr. Sullivan (Jean Martin), the dubious owner of a defunct mine, through which The Wild Bunch launders their ill-gotten gold. Unbeknownst to Jack, Sullivan had previously slain his brother, the Nevada Kid, one of the mine’s co-owners.
In an elaborate twist, Nobody aims to incite Jack into exacting vengeance upon Sullivan, thereby provoking the wrath of The Wild Bunch. Sullivan, expecting Jack's reprisals, has already dispatched henchmen to eliminate him on various occasions. These attempts have either ended in Jack's favor or thanks to Nobody's intervention. When Sullivan contemplates hiring hitmen for another attack against Jack, Nobody feigns interest, only to warn Jack of the ambush ahead, allowing him to neutralize the lurking threats.
Ultimately, Jack defies both Nobody's expectations and Sullivan’s schemes. He discounts the idea of avenging his brother, who he asserts was as much of a rogue as Sullivan. Instead, he merely confronts Sullivan, wresting from him the money needed for his voyage to Europe before riding off towards New Orleans, where his ship awaits.
Unrelenting, Nobody seizes a gold-laden train running parallel to the tracks Jack rides. Suddenly, Jack finds himself pursued by this lumbering train, which matches his pace yet prevents him from escaping. With The Wild Bunch charging towards them, Jack realizes the inevitable confrontation Nobody has orchestrated. He takes cover behind an embankment, ready to face the formidable 150 bandits on his own.
Recalling that some of the bandits had previously loaded their saddlebags with dynamite, Jack ingeniously exploits the shimmering snippets of their flamboyant adornments visible in the sunlight to aim accurately. His strategic blasts cut through the ranks of the gang, significantly diminishing their numbers.
As the battle transitions into a standoff, with both sides entrenched and exchanging fire, Nobody propels the train forward between the two opposing forces, thereby allowing Jack to board. Together, they make a swift escape towards New Orleans, leaving the battered remnants of The Wild Bunch behind.
Now that Jack Beauregard’s legacy is solidified by an illustrious triumph, there remains one final task before he embarks for Europe: he must convincingly simulate his death in combat. In an unexpected twist, Nobody's quirky persona has been part of the elaborate ploy all along. A staged duel in the streets of New Orleans followed by a dramatized death scene ultimately leads to Jack's grave being marked with the epitaph, "Nobody was faster on the draw."
With anonymity secured, Jack boards his ship and pens a farewell letter to Nobody, wishing him well, as the remaining members of The Wild Bunch and aspiring gunslingers now seek to chase his legacy. He departs just as the western landscape undergoes its inevitable transformation. As Jack’s letter is recited in voice-over, we witness Nobody confronting his new adversaries in his uniquely whimsical manner, proving that if anyone is capable of handling themselves, it is unquestionably Nobody.
