Shy mountain trapper Yancy (Audie Murphy) travels through Wyoming with his uncle and aunt. After Uncle Lije (George Mitchell) is injured by a bear, Yancy is sent to trade their beaver pelts for money and supplies. When he arrives at the trading post, he finds it has been burnt down by an Indian who was sold moonshine by a lazy sneak thief, Ben Stocker (Strother Martin). The trading post owner tells Yancy that he will have to ride two more days to the nearest town to trade his furs. Stocker tries to trade his oldest daughter Rosalie (Sandra Dee) to Yancy for some furs, but is rebuffed. The next day, Yancy finds that Rosalie has run away from her father and wants him to take her to town.