Buddy Ebsen and Ron Howard star in this contemporary western which explores the complex themes of the individual and governmental rights and responsibilities, and the conflicts that can occur when the two are in opposition. Ebsen plays John Vogelin, an old ranch owner in Arizona, set in his ways and determined to live out his life on his own land, warding off government interference. Ron Howard plays Lee Mackie, returned to the land of his youth, and a neighbor of Vogelin’s who is caught up in the buyout of land by the government for use as a missile testing site. Vogelin’s defiance of the federal agents to hold on to what he believes is right, in spite of great odds, touches off a fierce battle over landownership that forces everyone in this rural area to choose sides.
