Rawhide

Tom Owens, the clean-cut son of J. C. Owens, is sent to the remote relay station at Rawhide Pass to learn the family business from the ground up. He expects to return to civilization in a week. The stationmaster Sam Todd has known him for over forty years, and Owens is eager to prove himself.

A strong-willed woman named Vinnie Holt arrives with her young niece Callie on a coach bound east. Holt is fleeing a barroom tragedy with Callie and hopes to reach Callie's paternal grandparents. Their arrival coincides with the station's tense atmosphere as danger nears.

The U.S. Cavalry arrives from the east bearing news of four convicts who escaped Huntsville prison and robbed a stage. They plan to escort Holt's coach as the gold shipment is due to pass Rawhide the next day. The station realizes the danger is real and immediate.

Zimmerman, the Huntsville escapee, signals the other convicts to ride into town. Tevis, Yancy, and Gratz scheme to ride in after the last coach passes and pressure the authorities. Their aim is to secure the gold shipment with the fiction of an official presence at the station.

The convicts raid the station and seize Holt, Callie, and Owens, mistaking Holt for Owens's wife. Owens convinces Holt to pretend to be his wife to keep Callie safe. The trio is confined to a bedroom as the convicts wait for the last coach to pass.

Tevis breaks into the stable area and shoots Todd in the back as he tries to grab the rifle. The attack intensifies the danger for everyone at the station. Holt and Callie huddle, while Owens maintains a wary watch from nearby.

Owens and Holt begin chipping away at the clay wall to escape, while Callie hides and watches. Their improvised tools fail as the kitchen knife breaks, forcing them to confront the fragility of their plan. Dawn becomes a looming deadline as the morning approaches.

At first light, Callie squeezes through the small hole and escapes to safety. Tevis bursts into the room and assaults Holt as Owens tries to intervene but is knocked out. Zimmerman, misreading the situation, returns to confront Owens, setting the stage for a brutal confrontation.

Zimmerman underestimates Tevis and turns his back, only to be shot in the back by Tevis. Gratz is also gunned down by Tevis during the chaos. Yancy flees into hiding, leaving the survivors to contend with the remaining threat.

Owens regains consciousness and, though wounded, retrieves a gun from under a horse trough. He faces Tevis in a desperate gunfight just as the next stage nears arrival. The conflict tests Owens's resolve to protect Holt, Callie, and the station.

Callie reappears in the yard, unaware of the full danger, while Tevis threatens to kill her if Owens won't surrender. Owens chooses to move toward certain death to shield the others, buying time for Holt to act. Holt and Callie brace for what may come next.

Holt springs into action, recovering Gratz's rifle and taking aim at Tevis. She shoots Tevis, eliminating the primary threat to Owens and Callie. With Tevis down, the station's balance of power shifts decisively.

The gold-laden stagecoach finally arrives, with Yancy aboard and the threat from the convicts dissipating. Owens remarks that he is 'learning the business' as the coach comes through, signaling his ongoing education in frontier life. Holt and Callie are safe, and normalcy begins to return.

Owens delivers the closing line, encapsulating his experience and the frontier lesson he's absorbing. The night’s trials have forged resolve, responsibility, and a deeper understanding of the risks of the business. The future remains uncertain, but Owens is more prepared to face it.