The King and Four Queens

Dan Kehoe escapes a posse and makes his way toward a sparse frontier town. He learns of a possible fortune and the McDade family, whose burned barn and missing sons trigger legends of a hidden gold stash. This kickstarts his plan to use charm to locate the money.

In the saloon, Kehoe hears that Wagon Mound is deserted except for the McDade women. He learns the rumored $100,000 loot is hidden somewhere on the McDade ranch. With other treasure hunters being shot at if they come near, the prize seems dangerous and alluring.

Pretending to be escaping pursuers, Kehoe approaches the McDade women and is shot and slightly wounded. They take him in and tend his wounds, while the formidable mother-in-law asserts control over the household. Kehoe begins to weave a story to gain their trust.

Ma McDade explains that the women must act married until the surviving son is identified. She insists Kehoe must leave the next day if he cannot prove himself. The constraint creates tension as Kehoe realizes he must play along to stay and learn.

Kehoe tells Ma McDade a story suggesting he may have met the surviving son in jail, though he never saw him clearly. The tale stirs Ma's curiosity about the family and the possibility of the loot falling into capable hands. The ruse helps him gain a foothold with the sisters.

Over the next day, all four widows flirt with Kehoe as he tries to glean clues about the loot. The mother keeps a constant lookout for a signal from her surviving son and will ring a large bell to let him know when it is safe to approach town. The bell thus becomes the town's, and the family's, key to keeping order.

The sheriff arrives with a posse to seize Kehoe, but he talks him out of it by promising to signal when the last McDade brother arrives by ringing the bell. The plan buys Kehoe time and keeps law enforcement at bay for the moment. The sheriff's skepticism is tempered by the bell's control.

Impressed by Kehoe's negotiation, Ma McDade allows him to stay a little longer. He uses the time to befriend each widow enough to learn where the loot might be hidden, though Ma's interference keeps him off-balance. Kehoe begins to piece together a plan to secure the treasure without alerting the others.

Kehoe, using the information he gathered, deduces the location of the hidden gold and departs with it. He has learned where the fortune is buried and makes off with a portion of it, staying one step ahead of the women. The act marks a turning point in his scheme.

Sabina McDade is revealed to have never been married to her 'husband', freeing her to pursue her own plan. She becomes part of the loot scheme and joins Kehoe's flight, accelerating their conspiracy or complicating his progress. The revelation intensifies the cat-and-mouse dynamic.

The sheriff's posse closes in on Kehoe and Sabina. Kehoe sends Sabina ahead with five thousand dollars of the loot and returns the rest to the sheriff, claiming that this is his intended arrangement all along. The move is a calculated distraction to buy time and test Sabina's next move.

Arriving at the agreed meeting place, Kehoe learns that Sabina has pretended to be his widow and has taken all his money. He chases her, tracking her to a location where the money sits in her possession. The pursuit ends with an unexpected turn as they decide to travel together.