“邪恶”莉莉·毕晓普加入了由迈克尔·法比安和约翰尼·特伦博率领的前往加利福尼亚的篷车队，但淘金热的消息使车队四散。当约翰尼和迈克尔终于到达时，莉莉靠她的酒馆发了大财，而店主（前奴隶贩子）法老·科芬正在榨干矿工们的钱财。但更糟糕的麻烦还在后面：加利福尼亚正慢慢成为州，某些人想把它变成他们的私人帝国。

　　Will Penny, an aging cowpoke, takes a job on a ranch which requires him to ride the line of the property looking for trespassers or, worse, squatters. He finds that his cabin in the high mountains has been appropriated by a woman whose guide to Oregon has deserted her and her son. Too ashamed to kick mother and child out just as the bitter winter of the mountains sets in, he agrees to share the cabin until the spring thaw. But it isn't just the snow that slowly thaws; the lonely man and woman soon forget their mutual hostility and start developing a deep love for one another.