It stars Maureen O'Hara as a saloon proprietress who becomes embroiled in a range war and Alex Nicol as the sheriff who tries to prevent it.

The supporting cast includes William Bishop as a politician who provokes the war and Alexander Scourby as a prominent cattle rancher.

The narrator explains that established ranchers use the "Maverick Act" against the settlers, while "sharp-witted men" take advantage of the resulting conflict.

After this introduction, Jim Averell (Bishop) is shown exhorting settlers to elect him governor to defend them against cattle barons such as Reece Duncan (Scourby).

After Duncan attempts to stop a cattle roundup organized by Averell and the settlers, one of his men is killed, with Kate's branding iron left near the body.

[3] (In December 1949 Hal Wallis announced he wanted to make a biopic of the Wyoming pioneer Ellen Watson called Cattle Kate starring Barbara Stanwyck but this appears to have become The Furies.