Sam Elliott stars in this made-for-television Western based on a novel by Louis L'Amour. Elliott is Con Vallian, an enigmatic gunslinger who comes to the aid of a family traveling through the wilderness. As Duncan and Susanna McKaskel (Tom Conti and Kate Capshaw) and their son (Kenny Morrison) struggle to make a home in the wild, Vallian tries to protect the helpless pioneers from Indians and outlaws -- but will he end up destroying their unity?