The Civil War is over and Medal of Honor winner John Benedict is a Colorado rancher returning to his wife and four children with his ranch hand, Free.

As they arrive they are greeted by some town representatives and Lieutenant Able, who is intent in recruiting John's son Morgan to West Point.

The next day while John is out hunting the mountain lion that his son Morgan shot, some Comanche shoot his dog and steal his horse.

Just before Free dies, he tells John that the leader of the Comanches was a white man, indicating that all is not as it seems with the raid.

He selects six hardened criminals: Hoop, a former Comanchero; Job, an escaped slave; Chamaco, a young gunslinger; Cholo, a reformed bandit; Quiberon, a womaniser; and Zweig, a German known for his strength.

After a few years roaming the west searching for Tarp, John encounters his former friend Sheriff Whitcomb who has become a US Marshall.

John is taken to Elizabeth Reilly, who nurses him back to full health, saying the bullet barely missed his heart and exited through his armpit.

She falls in love with him and asks him to stay, but John departs intent on finally locating Tarp and killing him.

En route he stops to re-shoe his horse but is captured by commandant of the prison camp that he liberated his gang from.

John rides away and fires his gun in salute to the five remaining members of the gang, deciding to return to his ranch.

[6] Ernest Borgnine wrote in his autobiography, "This western was an attempt to return audiences to the dark territory of The Wild Bunch with a dash of The Dirty Dozen.