The Tall Stranger

Ned Bannon is shot in the side and left for dead on the road. He wakes days later in a wagon belonging to widow Ellen, who travels with her son Will and a Confederate wagon train. He recalls a mob of cattle drovers and the distinctive attacker’s gear—fancy spurs and a gold-plated rifle.

In private, Bannon warns that Hardy Bishop would never let anyone through his land. He also reveals a personal detail: Bishop is his half-brother, making Bannon less welcome than the settlers. Ellen listens as the conflict takes on a sharper, more personal edge.

The wagon train arrives in Bishop's Valley, and Harper pushes the settlers to claim the land. Bannon argues that the valley will bring widows and bloodshed, warning against being pulled into Bishop's trap. Harper and Purcell force Bannon to leave the settler camp at gunpoint, sending him toward Bishop's ranch.

Bishop orders Stark to keep settlers off his land and confronts Bannon with a loaded gun. The initial exchange misses, followed by a brutal fistfight in which Bannon overpowers Bishop. Bishop then warns Stark to ready the men to drive the settlers away.

After the fight, Bishop tells Bannon that if he doesn’t leave, he will be killed. Bannon insists on staying to uncover Harper’s real plan. The two men trade wary words as the tension thickens around the ranch.

Two men posing as miners, Zarata and Barrett, approach with knowledge of Harper’s plan to rustle cattle. Zarata will wait at Bishop's ranch with a dozen men to kill anyone returning. Harper argues the plan is sound and can net far more cash than Zarata could obtain alone.

Bannon, Stark, Chavez, and Red approach the settlers in the camp. Zarata recognizes Bannon as the man who shot him earlier. Harper goads Red into drawing his gun; a volley erupts, Red is shot in the stomach, and a settler's wife is killed. Bannon moves to pull Red away while the others scramble to respond.

Zarata confronts Ellen by a stream and hints at past familiarity, which she denies. Bannon checks Zarata’s rifle and confirms it was the one used to shoot him, then passes it to Ellen for protection. Ellen shoots Barrett, Zarata grabs Bannon’s pistol, and Will hears the ensuing gunfire as Harper orders others back; Zarata escapes.

Bannon, Ellen, and Will slip away from the pursuing settlers, intent on reaching safety. In the confusion, Ellen drops Zarata’s rifle, which Harper promptly retrieves, signaling that the chase is far from over.

Bannon travels to Bishop's ranch to broker a peaceable handover of Harper, warning that if this fails, Bishop will have to confront the settlers and rustlers. He enlists Will to help and stresses that the valley's future depends on how they resolve Harper. Bishop agrees to listen and consider the plan.

That night, rustlers attack the bunkhouse and trap the settlers inside. Bannon and Bishop orchestrate a counterattack, loading a wagon with wet straw and pushing it toward the bunkhouse to create smoke that buys time for escape. Zarata tries to ride out but is cornered during the ensuing firefight.

During the chaos, Zarata shoots Bishop, but Bishop drags him off his horse and strangles him. Inside the house, Harper shoots Charlie and takes Ellen hostage, forcing Bannon to lower his weapon. Believing Harper’s gun to be empty, Bannon shoots Harper to end the standoff.

Harper is killed by Bannon as the confrontation resolves. Bannon also manages to speak with Bishop before the latter dies, a final, somber moment amid the fallout of the attack. The settlers and those who remain weigh the costs of the ongoing conflict.

With the immediate threat resolved, the settlers decide to stay in Bishop's Valley rather than press on to California. Ellen and Will have already left, but Bannon arrives to rejoin the group and remains to help them settle. The valley becomes a new home, at least for the moment.