The Big Country - Plot

Plot

Wealthy, newly retired sea captain James McKay (Gregory Peck) travels to the American West to join his fiancée Patricia (Carroll Baker) at the enormous ranch owned by her father, Major Terrill (Charles Bickford). Terrill has been feuding with Rufus Hannassey (Burl Ives), the patriarch of a poorer, less refined ranching clan. Patricia's friend, schoolteacher Julie Maragon (Jean Simmons), owns the "Big Muddy", a large ranch with a vital water supply. She is caught in the middle of the Terrill-Hannassey feud, as she has been allowing Hannassey to use her water for his cattle, while Terrill has been trying to buy her land in order to put Hannassey out of business.

McKay refuses to be provoked into proving his manhood, having sworn off such behavior since his father died in a meaningless duel. He does nothing to stop Hannassey's trouble-making son Buck (Chuck Connors) from harassing him, and he declines a challenge by Terrill's foreman, Steve Leech (Charlton Heston), to ride an unruly horse. Patricia, Terrill, and Leech consider this to be cowardly in view of the region's lawlessness. When Terrill and the men ride to the Hannassey place in retribution for Buck's harassment, McKay stays at the ranch and successfully rides the unruly horse while telling no one except ranch hand Ramon (Alfonso Bedoya).

One morning, after instructing Ramon to tell the others not to worry about him, McKay rides to the Big Muddy, using a map and compass to navigate the terrain, and persuades Julie to sell him her land by promising to continue her policy of allowing both the Terrills and the Hannasseys access to the river. Meanwhile, a search party spends two days looking for McKay, believing he is lost. McKay finds the search party and explains that he was not in danger, but Leech — who is clearly motivated in part by his jealousy of McKay over Patricia — calls him a liar in front of Patricia and Terrill. McKay again refuses to be goaded into a fight, and he and Patricia agree to reconsider their engagement after she becomes upset at his apparent cowardice. Early the next morning, before anybody else is up, McKay settles with Leech. They fight away from the house, without witnesses, to an exhausted draw. After that, Leech begins to respect McKay.

Later, after McKay has moved into town, Julie tells Patricia that he bought the Big Muddy and privately rode the horse, and Patricia visits him. When he tells her he plans to allow water access to the Hannasseys, she becomes enraged and they break the engagement permanently.

Meanwhile, on Terrill's orders, Leech and his men chase Hannassey's cattle away from the Big Muddy. Hannassey, in retaliation, kidnaps Julie and uses her as bait to lure Terrill into an ambush in the narrow canyon leading to Hannassey's home. Buck tries to rape her, but his father stops him.

When McKay finds out about Julie, for whom his own feelings have been becoming increasingly obvious, he rides to the Hannassey place with Ramon. Buck tells Julie he will kill McKay unless she says she is there willingly. McKay shows Hannassey the deed to Big Muddy and promises him equal access to the water. When Hannassey says he intends to fight Terrill anyway, McKay declares to Hannassey that the fight is really a personal vendetta. McKay and Buck fight with each other, but Hannassey stops the conflict when Buck draws his gun on McKay, who is unarmed, and decides they will settle their quarrel with a formal duel.

After walking apart ten paces, both men turn and aim. Buck fires before the signal, grazing McKay's forehead. Hannassey prepares to kill Buck, as required by the rules, but McKay stops him. As McKay slowly and deliberately takes aim, Buck drops to the ground in terror and crawls behind a wheel. McKay fires into the dirt, and Hannassey spits on Buck in disgust. As McKay and Julie start to leave, Buck grabs a gun from a ranch hand in order to kill McKay, but Hannassey shoots his son dead.

Meanwhile, Terrill insists on riding into the canyon. Initially, Leech refuses to accompany him, and the other men follow his lead. However, after Terrill rides out alone, Leech catches up with him. The remaining hands again align themselves with Leech by following. The group soon rides into a trap in the canyon. Acknowledging the truth of McKay's accusation, Hannassey orders his men to stop shooting and challenges Terrill to a one-on-one showdown. Hannassey and Terrill kill each other, and McKay, Julie, and Ramon ride out of the canyon together.