Classic Western starring John Wayne and James Stewart. Big-city lawyer Ransom (Stewart) heads into the Wild West outpost of Shinbone to bring local outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) to justice. En route, he is met by a posse led by Valance, who beat him within an inch of his life.

Passing cowboy Tom Doniphon (Wayne) rescues Ransom, gets him set up in Shinbone and supports his efforts to be elected sheriff. Meanwhile, he also attempts to teach his clumsy protegé the fundamentals of gunslinging, so that Valance may at last be brought to book.