Supposedly based on a true story, the movie is set in 1876 Canada, and the Northwest Mounted Police were only three years old. Constable Duncan MacDonald (Tyrone Power)has just joined the Mounted Police in western Canada and it is he who tells us the story. Standing Bear's band of Cree had slipped in to the United States to hunt buffalo. American soldiers, fighting the Sioux, killed two of the Cree by mistake, and Standing Bear wants to teach them a lesson.
The Crees attack a cavalry troop, and there were many casualties on both sides. The Crees are chased back home. The cavalry continues to chase the Cree, and the Cree decide to capture some whites to use as hostages. The Crees capture a husband and a wife.
A Blackfoot scout, Natayo tells the Police about the captives. McDonald is sent to rescue the hostages and bring the crees back to Canada. Natayo is bribed to go along as well. A Cree party, lead by Konah (Cameron Mitchell), quickly capture MacDonald and Natoyo. They are brought to a large camp where the Cree scream and beat drums.
MacDonald tells Standing Bear that the Great White Mother is angry that the Crees have left their lands. MacDonald finds the captives, and tries to take them with him but Standing Bear tells him he must think about it. MacDonald meets a little cree boy, Comes Running, who is an orphan since the Blackfeet killed his parents.
Standing Bear tells MacDonald that he must go, without the captives. He also tells him that the warriors will begin chasing him in a few hours. Comes Running decides to go with MacDonald. Just then a steamship goes across the water and MacDonald says it is the Great White Mother's medicine. They have a council, MacDonals makes a lot of promises, and Standing Bear agrees to go back to Canada and the captives can go with MacDonald.
MacDonald learns from Natayo that the white male captive, Jess Calhoun, is an escaped convict. When he tries to escape from camp he kills Konah's brother. Konah has Calhoun tied to two horses and is about to have him pulled apart but MacDonald comes to the rescue. Standing Bear rescues MacDonald saying he speaks with a straight tongue and says that the white law will punish Calhoun. Calhoun tries to escape again and MacDonald shoots him and will bring him in for justice.
Meanwhile, Konah captures the woman captive and it is up to MacDonald and Standing Bear to get her back, which they of course do after the obligatory knife fight between MacDonald and Konah.
The Indians speak with broken English about bad medicine and the like and they don't come off sounding too good. Natayo also speaks really poorly and is something of a comic figure. Poorly written, it should have been much better. A pale imitation of Broken Arrow, which it tried to copy an cash in on. Tyrone Powers did look good in the red coat though.
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