Shortly after the Civil War, Lee Hunter, a former Union cavalry officer, and Reb Stuart, former Confederate cavalry horseman, take civilian positions at Fort Defiance, near Indian Territory. In a meeting of several tribes for a peace council, Hunter and Stuart must keep Sioux warrior Standing Bear from starting a war with the Snake tribe.; The Cavalry must move Red Bird's Cheyenne tribe to a new reservation; but are under orders to disarm the warriors during the trip. The rival Pawnees see this as an opportunity to ambush the travelers.